Home / Health / Hemophilia Breakthrough: Lasker Award Honors Three
Hemophilia Breakthrough: Lasker Award Honors Three
9 Sep
Summary
- Three scientists honored with Lasker Award for Hemlibra creation.
- Hemlibra uses a unique bispecific antibody to restore Factor VIII function.
- The treatment offers sustained bleed prevention with subcutaneous administration.
Drs. Kunihiro Hattori, Takehisa Kitazawa, and Tomoyuki Igawa, the scientific minds behind Chugai Pharmaceutical's Hemlibra, have been awarded the prestigious Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award. This recognition celebrates their pioneering development of emicizumab (Hemlibra), a novel treatment for hemophilia A.
Hemlibra represents a significant advancement by employing a bispecific antibody to restore the function of deficient Factor VIII, a critical protein for blood clotting. This innovative 'additive' approach, unlike conventional 'subtractive' antibody therapies, enables sustained bleed prevention and offers the convenience of subcutaneous administration.
The award highlights the substantial impact of Hemlibra, which has been approved in over 120 countries and regions since its initial approval in 2017. It provides a new treatment option that significantly reduces bleeding events and the treatment burden for over 30,000 people with hemophilia A worldwide.
This achievement marks a significant milestone, with Japanese researchers receiving the Lasker Award in clinical medical research for the second time since its inception in 1945. The collaborative efforts of Chugai, Nara Medical University, Roche, and Genentech were crucial in bringing this transformative therapy to patients.
