BETTER TREATMENT FOR HEMOPHILICS

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30980, 9 February 1966, Page 1

BETTER TREATMENT FOR HEMOPHILICS

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, February 8. The Auckland blood transfusion service has a supply of the anit-hemophilie globulin which provides a great improvement in the treatment of hemophilics, said the director of the Auckland Blood Transfusion Service, Dr. J. M. Staveley, today.

A cable from Bris- \ bane yesterday desI. cribed the globulin, ( known internationally ; as Factor VIII, as the j biggest break-through for hemophilics in 20 (, years. The director of the Brisbane ! 1 i Blood Bank, Dr. A. E. Shaw, i said the discovery was one of (the most exciting in the field ‘(of blood chemistry in the last 120 years. ; I “Hemophilics and their

tamilies should not be misled by this report," said Dr. i Staveley. “This preparation of : Factor VIII is not a cure for I hemophilics, but it does rej present a great improvement (in their treatment." He said the Brisbane work (was based on a United States (technique—known as cryoprejcipitation —which had been de(vised by a Californian blood expert. Dr. Judith Pool. “We have been interested in her work in Auckland for a long time,” Dr Staveley said. “We now have a small stock here of Factor VIII and within two months we propose to build it up into a bigger reserve, which will be available to all hemophilics in New Zealand.” “We have not used it on patients here yet, but it is , available should the need arise.”

Dr. Staveley said the cost of the new method would be negligible. With cryoprccipitation. plasma from fresh blood is frozen to minus 40 degrees Centigrade. Then it is thawed slowly to four degrees Centigrade and spun in a centrifuge at 2000 times gravity The resulting precipitate, the concentrated Factor VIII, is the anti-hemorrhage factor. Dr. Staveley said it had been agreed the transfusion service should make this the standard material for future treatment. It would be made in Auckland and would re place the Blomback method which was very expensive, costing up to £3OO for one (dose. ( The Brisbane report claimed ' the substance not only stopped victims from bleeding to death but also prevented hemorrhages, but Dr. Staveley (said in his opinion it was far too early to say this could be made a simple replacement therapy as with insulin for diabetics.