Helixate® FS Antihemophilic Factor (Recombinant) is a sterile, stable, purified, nonpyrogenic, dried concentrate that has been manufactured using recombinant DNA technology. Helixate FS is intended for use in the treatment of classical hemophilia (hemophilia A), and is produced by Baby Hamster Kidney (BHK) cells into which the human factor VIII (FVIII) gene has been introduced.¹ The cell culture medium contains Human Plasma Protein Solution (HPPS) and recombinant insulin, but does not contain any proteins derived from animal sources. Helixate FS is a highly purified glycoprotein consisting of multiple peptides including an 80 kD and various extensions of the 90 kD subunit. It has the same biological activity as FVIII derived from human plasma. Compared to its predecessor product HELIXATE® Antihemophilic Factor (Recombinant), Helixate FS incorporates a revised purification and formulation process that eliminates the addition of Albumin (Human).

The purification process includes an effective solvent/detergent virus inactivation step in addition to the use of the classical purification methods of ion exchange chromatography, monoclonal antibody immunoaffinity chromatography, along with other chromatographic steps designed to purify recombinant FVIII and remove contaminating substances.

Helixate FS is formulated with sucrose (0.9-1.3%), glycine (21-25 mg/mL), and histidine (18-23 mM) as stabilizers in the final container in place of Albumin (Human) as used in HELIXATE, and is then lyophilized. The final product also contains calcium chloride (2-3 mM), sodium (27-36 mEq/L), chloride (32-40 mEq/L), polysorbate 80 (not more than [NMT] 96 µg/mL), imidazole (NMT 20 µg/1000 IU), tri-n-butyl phosphate (NMT 5 µg/1000 IU), and copper (NMT 0.6 µg/1000 IU). The product contains no preservatives. The amount of sucrose in each vial is 28 mg. Intravenous administration of sucrose contained in Helixate FS will not affect blood glucose levels.

Each vial of Helixate FS contains the labeled amount of recombinant FVIII in international units (IU). One IU, as defined by the World Health Organization standard for blood coagulation FVIII, human, is approximately equal to the level of FVIII activity found in 1 mL of fresh pooled human plasma. Helixate FS must be administered by the intravenous route

REFERENCES

1.   Lawn RM, Vehar GA: The molecular genetics of hemophilia. Sci Am 254(3):48-54,1986.

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