We minimized the exposure to immunological danger signals by avoiding first treatment with FVIII in a bleeding situation or during infection, by avoiding surgery during the selleck first 20 exposure days (EDs)

and by avoiding vaccinations on the same day as FVIII treatments. Furthermore, any bleeds that did occur were treated early by giving higher doses immediately, thereby avoiding long and intensive treatment and shortening the time of tissue damage. Our results indicate that minimizing danger signals during the first 20 EDs with FVIII might indeed reduce the risk of inhibitor formation. However, these results should be interpreted as hypothesis generating and need to be confirmed in a larger prospective clinical study. Twenty six PUPs in two centers in Germany with severe haemophilia A (all <1% FVIII baseline activity) with a variety of FVIII gene mutations, the majority high risk,

were treated with a prophylaxis regimen designed to induce immune tolerance by avoiding immunological danger signals. The incidence of inhibitor development in this group was compared with that in a historical ABT-199 in vitro control group of 30 children treated with a standard joint protection prophylaxis regimen. To avoid selection bias both study and control group consists of consecutive PUPs with severe haemophilia A (<1% FVIII) as they appeared in the respective haemophilia center during a given time period. Based on the immunological danger theory and their potential impact on FVIII inhibitor development the new prophylaxis regimen was prospectively planned and

implemented as standard of care by January 2001 in center A (Bremen) and by January 2005 in center B (Munich). The overall risk of developing inhibitors to FVIII during the first 150 EDs is 20–30% for PUPs [13]. Pyruvate dehydrogenase lipoamide kinase isozyme 1 Of those developing inhibitors, 50% will do so within the first 20 days and 95% during the first 50 days [13]. If the patient can be brought through this high risk period without inhibitor development, the subsequent risk is low [14]. We therefore decided to test the efficacy in overcoming the high risk of the first 50 EDs of a prophylaxis regimen specifically designed to induce tolerance to the administered FVIII and to minimize inhibitor development. According to the German haemophilia treatment guidelines prophylaxis in children with haemophilia is standard of care [15].