New hope for people with haemophilia

Doctors cure haemophilia B - 29th August 2022

British doctors have announced that there's a new treatment for people living with haemophilia B.

This new therapy cures haemophilia B, a condition where the blood doesn't clot or stop bleeding. Normally, when there's a cut on the skin, it gets a scab. The key protein responsible for stopping the bleeding is called clotting factor IX. Haemophilia patients can’t produce enough factor IX.

A group of haemophilia patients were injected with a man-made virus. It contains the instructions to produce the missing factor IX. The virus tells the liver to start creating the clotting protein.

Scientists state that this new development means haemophilia patients can have a better life.

Elliott Mason took part in the therapy trial and reports that now he feels "completely normal". Elliott has never had enough of the essential clotting protein. He was always "anxious of getting hurt". While he loved rugby and wanted to play it, it was only a dream.

Elliott used to get injections of factor IX every other day. Although he was able to stay healthy, many others with haemophilia suffer serious joint damage from the bleeding.

The New England Journal of Medicine has published the results from the therapy trial. The findings confirmed nine out of ten trial patients didn't need their clotting factor IX injections.

This experiment is the latest in a series of breakthroughs, in treating both haemophilia A and B.