Commitment to increase Factor Vlll stocks for young haemophiliacs

2/8/96

Health Minister Kevin Prince has reaffirmed the State Government's commitment to increase stocks of Factor V111 for Western Australia's young haemophiliacs.

Now treatment to reduce the severity of spontaneous bleeding into joints could be offered to all children under 18 years with severe haemophilia.

Mr Prince said that through the efforts of WA's blood donors, people with haemophilia were able to get treatment for emergency bleeds using Factor V111 derived from donated blood.

"The amount of plasma donated by Western Australians has increased by 35 per cent over the past two years," he said.

"This means that most of the supplies required for the expanded prophylactic therapy program can come from this donated plasma, with the remainder from the recently released synthetic product, recombinant Factor V111.

"With the help of funding from the Commonwealth Government, we can purchase an additional 400,000 units of the recombinant Factor V111 this financial year. The extra supplies will cost around $480,000."

Haemophilia is an inherited blood clotting disorder where a vital link, most commonly a substance called Factor V111, is missing.

The gene for haemophilia is located in the X-chromosome, and almost always affects boys, not girls. About 1 in 7,000 boys have haemophilia in WA.

It is difficult to stop bleeding from cuts and wounds without enough Factor V111 and affected children may also spontaneously bleed into their growing joints.

Mr Prince said preference for treatment with the synthetic Factor V111 would be given to children who had never received plasma derived from Factor V111, or did not test positive for hepatitis B and C or HIV.

He said supplies of donated blood and plasma were very safe, although some people who received plasma derived Factor V111 were exposed to hepatitis and HIV viruses in the 1980s before screening and new treatment procedures to minimise viral risk were instated.

The big increase in supply of Factor V111 in WA would allow the State to implement other initiatives to improve treatment for people with haemophilia, such as providing a pool of Factor V111 for planned surgery and emergencies.

Media Contact: Jenny Bassett  366 0300