Human plasma-derived factor VIII/von Willebrand factor complex concentrates are used to control bleeding in patients with von Willebrand disease (VWD) or haemophilia A (HA). The properties of these haemostatic factor concentrates vary widely, which can have significant clinical implications. This review provides an extensive overview of the molecular properties, in addition to pharmacokinetic, efficacy and safety data, and case studies of clinical experience of one such concentrate, Biostate. These data are discussed in the context of various therapeutic applications and compared with other factor concentrate products. Data are presented from data on file from the manufacturer; product information and published experimental and clinical pharmacokinetic, safety and efficacy study data; and example case studies of clinical experience. The data discussed herein demonstrate that Biostate has well-established efficacy profiles in the treatment of patients with VWD or HA, with the control of bleeding rated as 'excellent', 'good' or 'moderate' in >90% of patients. In an immune-tolerance induction setting, 73% of patients achieved a complete response following treatment with Biostate. Biostate was generally well tolerated in patients with HA or VWD, with infrequent minor adverse events reported and no reported cases of clinically relevant thrombosis.
Keywords: factor VIII; factor VIII/von Willebrand factor concentrate; haemophilia A; haemorrhage; immune tolerance; treatment efficacy; von Willebrand diseases; von Willebrand factor.