Hemlibra, a new treatment for type A hemophilia, is listed on the WHO's essential drug list
Oct 20, 2025
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Hemlibra, a type A hemophilia treatment developed by Japan's Zuju Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of global pharmaceutical company Roche, is a bispecific antibody treatment designed to mimic the function of blood clotting factor 8. Among patients with type A hemophilia, it is the only preventive treatment available to both antibody-bearing and non-antibody patients with resistance to factor 8 drugs, and the effect of preventing bleeding continues with only a subcutaneous injection up to once per four weeks. JW Pharmaceutical secured the domestic development and copyright of Hemlibra in 2017 and obtained permission from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2019.
The WHO List of Essential Medicines is used as a reference document for establishing public procurement and health insurance benefit policies in each country. The World Blood Union (WFH) officially requested the WHO to list Hemlibra and submitted multicenter and long-term clinical results and cost-effectiveness data, and the data were reflected in the WHO's evaluation process.
The listing comprehensively considered the preventive effect, safety, and high convenience of administration, which Hemlibra has consistently demonstrated in various global clinical trials.
An official from JW Pharmaceutical said, "The WHO listing of essential drugs is the result of international recognition of the clinical value and safety of Hemlibra. "With this listing, we will make efforts to ensure that patients with type A hemophilia in Korea can enjoy more stable and continuous preventive treatment benefits through Hemlibra."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
