CSL Behring announced today the national winners of the 8th annual Gettin’ in the GameSM Junior National Championship (JNC). Developed by CSL Behring, provider of the hemophilia treatment Helixate® FS (Antihemophilic Factor, Recombinant), the JNC is a series of one-day events held throughout the country that provide hundreds of children with bleeding disorders the opportunity to participate in a golf and baseball competition.
As part of the JNC, two accomplished athletes who have been diagnosed with hemophilia A, professional golfer Perry Parker and competitive baseball player Jesse Schrader, teach the kids the fundamentals of each sport as they provide guidance, advice and support for remaining active while managing their condition. The event also brings families raising children with bleeding disorders together to share personal experiences while allowing them to connect with other members of the community.
The golf and baseball competitors with the lowest/highest score from the series of one-day events, along with a raffle winner, were the overall champions. The winners, honored by CSL Behring at the National Hemophilia Foundation’s 61st annual meeting in San Francisco, are:
- Vohn Dumdumaya of Fairfield, Calif. is a three-time Junior National Champion in golf. The 17-year-old shot a 38 for 9 holes during CSL Behring’s Sacramento competition. He is an avid golfer and hopes to attend Sacramento State University on an athletic scholarship.
- Stephen Hampel of Glenolden, Pa. is the Junior National Co-Champion in baseball. He was tied for the overall highest score, which he achieved during CSL Behring’s Philadelphia area competition. While 2009 was the first year in which Stephen, 13, participated in the JNC, he is a veteran second baseman and outfielder for two teams in his hometown. Diagnosed with severe hemophilia at birth, Stephen successfully manages his condition while also enjoying soccer, swimming and basketball.
- Kurtis Pruitt of Citrus Heights, Calif. is also the Junior National Co-Champion in baseball. According to his parents, Kurtis “eats, sleeps and breathes” baseball and at home competes as part of the Hard 90 Academy. Diagnosed with von Willebrand Disease (VWD) when he was born, Kurtis, 13, already has aspirations of playing in the College World Series as a student at his dream school, the University of North Carolina.
- China Harbaugh of West Lehi, Utah is the National Raffle Champion. Active in soccer, where she plays goalie, China has recently taken up golf. In addition to winning the national raffle for event participants, she placed third during the golf competition of the JNC held in Salt Lake City. By managing her VWD and being active in athletics, she sets an example for her two younger sisters who also have VWD and play sports.
"CSL Behring would like to congratulate these national champions on their athletic achievements," said Garrett E. Bergman, M.D. Senior Director of Medical Affairs, U.S. Commercial Operations at
For more information about the JNC or CSL Behring, please visit www.cslbehring-us.com. For more information about Helixate FS, please visit www.HelixateFS.com.
About Hemophilia
Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder characterized by prolonged or spontaneous bleeding, especially into the muscles, joints, or internal organs. About 15,000 Americans have hemophilia. The disease is caused by deficient or defective blood coagulation proteins known as factor VIII or factor IX. The most common form of the disease is hemophilia A, or classical hemophilia, in which the clotting factor VIII is either deficient or defective. Hemophilia B is characterized by deficient or defective factor IX.
About Helixate FS
Helixate FS is a recombinant factor VIII product indicated to control and prevent bleeding episodes in adults and children with hemophilia A. Helixate FS is also indicated for routine prophylaxis to reduce the frequency of bleeding episodes and the risk of joint damage in children with hemophilia A with no preexisting joint damage.
The most serious adverse reactions with Helixate FS are systemic hypersensitivity reactions and the development of high-titer inhibitors necessitating alternative treatments to antihemophilic factor. The most common adverse reactions observed in clinical trials were inhibitor formation in previously untreated or minimally treated patients, skin-associated hypersensitivity reactions, infusion site reactions, and central venous access device (CVAD) line-associated infections.
Helixate FS is contraindicated in patients who have manifested life-threatening immediate hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, to the product or its components, including mouse or hamster proteins.
Helixate FS offers convenient administration with a 2.5-mL volume diluent for most assay sizes; no available factor VIII product has a smaller diluent size. No albumin is used in the formulation or purification of Helixate FS, and its manufacture includes a solvent/detergent viral inactivation step.
Helixate FS can be stored at room temperature (up to 25°C, 77°F) for three months. The storage guidelines for the hemophilia treatment provide users with greater flexibility and simplify storage options.
Please visit www.helixatefs.com/prescribinginformation.aspx for full prescribing information.
Helixate® FS is manufactured by Bayer HealthCare LLC for CSL Behring LLC.
About CSL Behring
CSL Behring is a leader in the plasma protein therapeutics industry. Committed to saving lives and improving the quality of life for people with rare and serious diseases, the company manufactures and markets a range of plasma-derived and recombinant therapies worldwide. CSL Behring therapies are indicated for the treatment of coagulation disorders including hemophilia and von Willebrand disease, primary immune deficiencies and inherited respiratory disease. The company’s products are also used in cardiac surgery, organ transplantation, burn treatment and to prevent hemolytic diseases in newborns. CSL Behring operates one of the world’s largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma. CSL Behring is a subsidiary of CSL Limited, a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. For more information, visit www.cslbehring.com.
Contacts:
Greg Healy, Senior Manager, Public Relations & Communications
U.S. Commercial Operations
CSL Behring
610-878-4841
Greg.Healy@cslbehring.com