Impact of a product‐specific reference standard for the measurement of a PEG ylated rFVIII activity: the Swiss Multicentre Field Study

Measuring factor VIII ( FVIII ) activity can be challenging when it has been modified, such as when FVIII is pegylated to increase its circulating half‐life. Use of a product‐specific reference standard may help avoid this issue. Aim Evaluate the impact of using a product‐specific reference standard for measuring the FVIII activity of BAX 855 – a pegylated FVIII – in eight of Switzerland's main laboratories. Methods Factor VIII‐deficient plasma, spiked with five different concentrations of BAX 855, plus a control FVIII sample, was sent to the participating laboratories. They measured FVIII activity by using either with a one‐stage ( OSA ) or the chromogenic assay ( CA ) against their local or a product‐specific reference standard. Results When using a local reference standard, there was an overestimation of BAX 855 activity compared to the target concentrations, both with the OSA and CA . The use of a product‐specific reference standard reduced this effect: mean recovery ranged from 127.7% to 213.5% using the OSA with local reference standards, compared to 110% to 183.8% with a product‐specific reference standard, and from 146.3% to 182.4% using the CA with local reference standards compared to 72.7% to 103.7% with a product‐specific reference standard. Conclusion In this in vitro study, the type of reference standard had a major impact on the measurement of BAX 855 activity. Evaluation was more accurate and precise when using a product‐specific reference standard.