The world’s largest study on the impact of haemophilia on cognition and behaviour in children and young adults reveals benefit of decades of improving care

Bagsværd, Denmark, 13 July 2020 – Novo Nordisk today announced the findings of an observational study that assesses the contemporary impact of haemophilia on cognitive development and behaviour of children, adolescents and young adults. The study was accepted as a late-breaking ePoster presentation by the 2020 Virtual Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH).

Overall, the study findings suggest that general intelligence (IQ), behaviour, attention and processing speed for patients with haemophilia were mostly comparable to the age-matched general population.1 However, adolescents and young adults performed worse for some of the domains related to emotional/behavioural and executive function (organisation, planning, starting tasks, self-monitoring behaviour and controlling one’s emotions). In particular, participants with ADHD appear to be at risk for difficulties with executive function and independence skills in their daily lives.1

“Novo Nordisk is committed to understanding and addressing the unmet needs in haemophilia care in children and young adults, well beyond medicines,” commented Ludovic Helfgott, Executive Vice President, Biopharm, the rare disease arm of Novo Nordisk. “The eTHINK study is a vital piece of research that highlights not only the improvements in haemophilia care over the last 25 years, but also the need for specialised interventions to support adolescents’ transition into adulthood, to ensure they receive the highest quality of multidisciplinary care.”

The Study of the Impact of Haemophilia and Its Treatment on Brain Development, Thinking and Behaviour in Children With Haemophilia (eTHINK) was commissioned following a similar study conducted 25 years ago.2 The previous study revealed that haemophilia and HIV can negatively impact cognitive development and behaviour in children and young adults.2 Since the original study, improvements in haemophilia standard of care and a reduction in HIV and hepatitis C burden may have changed the ways in which haemophilia influences cognitive development.

The eTHINK study was designed to understand whether these advances have removed the

adverse impact on cognitive and neurobehavioral development.

The eTHINK study assessed 551 males with haemophilia A and B of any severity level, between

the ages of one and 21. Children and young people underwent neurological examination and

neuropsychological assessment, including age-appropriate standardised tests of development.

About Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company, founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark. Our purpose is

to drive change to defeat diabetes and other serious chronic diseases such as obesity and rare blood and endocrine

disorders. We do so by pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to our medicines and working to prevent

and ultimately cure disease. Novo Nordisk employs about 43,100 people in 80 countries and markets its products in

around 170 countries. For more information, visit novonordisk.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube.