Vonicog alfa

Vonicog alfa is a recombinant von Willebrand factor manufactured by Baxalta. It was FDA approved in December 2015. The gen of von Willebrand factor was first cloned in 1985 by Stuart Orkin and David Ginsburg. By the EMA, vonicog alfa is still under clinical analysis.

Vonicog alfa is indicated for the on-demand treatment and control of bleeding episodes in adults previously diagnosed with von Willebrand disease. Vonicog alfa contains only the vWF and thus, its administration offers the flexibility to administer the coagulation factor VIII if needed. The von Willebrand disease is an inherited disorder characterized by the deficiency or misfunction of the von Willebrand factor (vWF). Due to this deficiency, the blood cannot clot properly and the patients that present this disease are prone to prolonged or excessive bleeding. There are three types of this disease, and type 3 is an autosomal recessive inherited disorder marked by very low or absent levels of vWF.