Sickle Cell Disease Treatment: A World Apart – Part 3: Addressing needs through partnership

By Veerle d'Haenens , General Manager, Global Therapy Innovations

About 25 million people[1] around the world suffer from sickle cell disease (SCD) and its hallmark acute pain crises, which can lead to hospitalization or worse. While regional challenges vary, access to treatments, including blood therapy, is an issue for nearly all patients.

Today is World Sickle Cell Day, and we have been reflecting in recent days on SCD treatment worldwide and how we can improve access to optimal care. Working together, we can raise awareness and promote education about SCD, nurturing a supportive ecosystem for those affected.

If you’ve been reading our posts over the past two days, you’ve noticed a theme for all of them: collaboration, the cornerstone of every advancement for patients with SCD. On Monday, we talked about our efforts with government and regulatory bodies to address the needs of SCD patients , especially those in rural areas. Yesterday we discussed how we partner with patients and advocacy groups , for example to understand their challenges and work toward solutions that improve how they access therapy.

Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies has always sought to partner with patients, families, drug developers, technology providers, non-governmental organizations, regulators, researchers, physicians, and other experts, since we recognize that we are part of the quest to improve the health of patients — and no one will have all of the answers.

Collaboration comes in many forms. Last year, some of our academic partners shared a presentation showing how they leveraged data generated with our Spectra Optia? Apheresis System to develop new apheresis protocols for the collection of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), the type of cells needed for cutting-edge cell-based therapies like the ones approved for SCD in December. These more efficient protocols have translated to fewer apheresis hours for patients, and also a greater number of eligible patients. Because they speed up the process — a huge bottleneck for therapy production — more patients are able to get the new therapies. And we, in turn, have incorporated these learnings into an industry-first apheresis training program for developers of blood-based therapies, helping spread the knowledge of how to optimize processes.2

Given our many roles throughout the continuum of patient care, we are keen on fostering closer collaboration with other industry stakeholders to address gaps in the SCD ecosystem through optimization, particularly in areas such as diagnostic tools and patient monitoring technologies. These initiatives aim to minimize wasted time in certain settings, allowing more patients to be promptly referred to optimal treatments instead of being placed on lengthy waiting lists, thereby reducing the risk of complications.

Long-term sustainability of these projects is also key for us, and it reflects our steady commitment to helping patients suffering from SCD everywhere in the world. We will continue to listen to, advocate for, and work on behalf of these patients and their families, and we believe that one day, everyone will have access to a cure.

[1] Giroir BP, Collins F. The state of sickle cell disease care in the United States: how can emergency medicine contribute? Ann Emerg Med. 2020;76(3S):S1-S3. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2020.07.029

[2] Press release: Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies optimizing cell therapy production through industry’s first apheresis training for cell therapy manufacturers; 2023. Available from: https://www.terumobct.com/Pages/News/Press%20Releases/TerumoBCT-Optimizing-Cell-Therapy-Production-Through-Industry%E2%80%99s-First-Apheresis-Training-for-Cell-.aspx