Author:

Keywords:

General & Internal Medicine

Abstract:

In keeping with previous years, 2015 was rich in developments and innovations in the field of blood diseases. As regards blood coagulation, the development of an antidote to Pradaxa® represents a major advance. Furthermore, recent studies demonstrated that FXI could be a target of choice for new anticoagulants and that bridging with lowmolecularweight heparin is no longer required in all patients with atrial fibrillation on vitamin K antagonist therapy prior to invasive procedures. Innovations in hemophilia are dominated by the development of new FVIII and FIX concentrates with prolonged half-lives, in addition to the validation of a bispecific antibody mimicking the function of FVIII within the coagulation cascade. With respect to hematological malignancies, several new therapies are expected to revolutionize the treatment of leukemia and lymphomas in the near future, including potent specific inhibitors and immunotherapies, especially chimeric receptor-expressing T cells. The molecular basis of myelodysplastic syndromes are now better understood. Plenty of new molecules have been developed for the treatment of multiple myeloma, in addition to new staging strategies displaying major therapeutic implications.