Understanding pharmacokinetics (PK)
Pharmacokinetics (phar·ma·co·ki·net·ics) is the study of the bodily absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination of drugs.
The role of PK in personalizing your hemophilia A treatment plan
PK testing allows your doctor to understand your unique PK profile and create a treatment plan that matches your needs. Talk to your physician about obtaining your PK profile.
The right dose and the right infusion frequency for you
The aim of hemophilia A treatment is to continuously maintain factor VIII at high enough levels with regular infusions to reduce the frequency of bleeding episodes. This is known as prophylaxis, which is the standard of care for treatment of hemophilia A in the United States.
The amount of factor VIII (the drug dose) and the frequency at which it must be given to prevent spontaneous bleeds varies from person to person. PK testing allows doctors to better understand how factor VIII levels behave in your body, so they can personalize and fine-tune your treatment by defining the right dose and infusion frequency for you.
*These are fictional scenarios for illustration only. Treatment decisions should be made by a physician on an individual basis.
PK testing and your PK profile
With PK testing, your doctor defines your PK profile. To do so, the doctor measures factor VIII levels in blood samples taken from you over a period of time.
Like a fingerprint, a PK profile is unique for every person with hemophilia A – there is nobody else quite like you! This unique PK profile can be used to make sure that the drug is given in the RIGHT AMOUNT and at the RIGHT FREQUENCY.
Understanding your PK profile
When you and your physician review your PK profile, you’ll likely be introduced to a few more terms. Check out this video that helps break them down:
Your PK profile helps you choose the right factor VIII product for you
Think of your factor VIII product as your cell phone, and the PK profile (peak, area under the curve, half-life, clearance, and trough) as the charge for your cell phone.
You use your cell phone a lot, so you need to know when it is at its maximum battery life (peak), and of course you want more battery charge available throughout your day (higher AUC). You also want it to take longer for your cell phone battery to go from full to half-charged (longer half-life), and you would want your phone to lose its charge more slowly (slower clearance). Additionally you also want to make sure you have at least a minimum amount of battery charge left so your phone doesn't run out of charge (right trough level).
Talk to your physician about obtaining your PK profile to personalize your treatment plan
To download a PDF of this information, please click here.
Want to track your PK-tailored regimen and view your factor levels anytime? Learn more at https://mywapps.org/
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