King of Prussia–based CSL Behring is at the center of a medical breakthrough that’s reshaping life for people with hemophilia, writes Amelia Schaefer for the News Tribune.
The company’s gene therapy, HEMGENIX, is the first FDA-approved treatment of its kind. It offers patients a chance to live without the weekly infusions that once defined their lives.
One of those patients is 73-year-old Greg Heifner. Born with hemophilia, even losing a baby tooth could become life-threatening. By age 10, he was in a wheelchair. Later, after a transfusion, he contracted HIV. For decades, infusions were his lifeline.
Last September, Heifner received HEMGENIX. Within weeks, he no longer needed treatments. “Suddenly, I felt a lot better,” he said. His wife, Debbie, added, “Greg hasn’t needed medication for his hemophilia since his gene therapy. He enjoys that freedom.”
Doctors report that 94 percent of patients treated with HEMGENIX remain symptom-free years later.
Though Heifner’s journey unfolds in Missouri, its success story runs through Montco. From its base in King of Prussia, CSL Behring continues to push the boundaries of medicine—and improve lives far beyond county lines.
Read more about CSL Behring and its groundbreaking gene therapy in the News Tribune.
