Recombinant activated factor VII

Recombinant FVIIa is effective in hemophilia patients with inhibitors. Case reports and emerging data from completed or ongoing clinical trials suggest that rFVIIa is also effective in a variety of bleeding conditions in nonhemophilia patients. Recombinant FVIIa has also been shown to be life saving in some patients with life-threatening hemorrhage and its use in such cases seems warranted. However rFVIIa is not always effective in controlling bleeding, whether due to inadequate dosing, simple failure of the agent or to other causes (27-30). Several questions pertaining to the use of rFVIIa still need to be answered including the mechanism of action and laboratory tests for monitoring. Despite the plethora of case reports, the need for RCT in children that address the questions related to definitive indications for rFVIIa, dose and potential side effects remains. © 2006 The Authors.