Floriane Socchi

and 9 more

Aim: Infantile haemangioma (IH) is the most common benign tumour in children. Since 2014, propranolol has become the first-choice therapy and currently Hemangiol® is the only approved drug for complicated haemangioma. This post-marketing study reported the use of Hemangiol® for IH in paediatric practice. Method and Results: From January 2014 to November 2018, 94 children (median age 4 [0;21] months; 75% female) treated with Hemangiol® for proliferative IH were enrolled in the study. The systematic paediatric cardiology consultation never contraindicated beta-blockers. Two Hemangiol® initiation protocols were used: a conventional ambulatory 3-week titration phase protocol (N=76, 80.9%), and a rapid initiation protocol with a 48-hour dose escalation in conventional hospitalization for severe proliferative IH (N=18, 19.1%). In both protocols, the haemodynamic tolerance was good. The mean maintenance dose of Hemangiol® was 2.7±0.8 mg/kg/day, with a median treatment duration of 7 [1.5;19] months. Adverse events (AEs) have been found in 25 (26,6%) patients including 8 (8.5%) patients with serious AEs (uncontrolled bronchial hyperreactivity, N=5; serious hypoglycaemia, N=3). Some patients had one or more AEs, a total of 24 non-serious AEs was reported in 19 patients (sleep disturbances, N=9; respiratory disorders, N=5; digestive disorders, N=6). No cardiac adverse event was reported. Conclusion: This post-marketing surveillance drug study supports the good tolerance of Hemangiol® in children with IH. A rapid initiation protocol is of interest when treatment is urgent. The pre-therapeutic paediatric cardiology consultation should not be systematic but only indicated on specific patients. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT 04105517.