About HAE

At KalVista, we believe it’s important to continue to build awareness and understanding of hereditary angioedema (HAE).

We’re not just developing drugs for HAE; we also care about the patient journey. Recently, we partnered with the HAE community to conduct a survey of 107 patients to better understand the HAE attack journey for people living with HAE and their current on-demand treatment experience. The survey results are available at Mind The HAE Attack (website) and in our congress presentations shown on our publications page.

HAE is a
rare genetic disease

HAE is a rare genetic condition that usually happens when the body doesn’t make enough of a protein called C1-inhibitor, or when that protein doesn’t work properly. Without enough working C1-Inhibitor, a process that helps control inflammation (the kallikrein-kinin system) becomes overactive. This causes blood vessels to leak fluid into surrounding tissues, and as a result, people with HAE can have sudden, painful, and sometimes life-threatening swelling attacks in different parts of the body. Some people have HAE even though their C1-inhibitor levels and function are normal. In these cases, the condition is caused by changes in other genes that affect how the body controls swelling.

People with HAE
experience attacks

HAE attacks are unique to every person, but occur as swelling in different parts of the body, including hands, feet, genitals, stomach, and face. In severe cases, swelling in the airway can make it difficult to breathe and require emergency intervention.

Attacks are sometimes triggered by emotional stress or physical trauma, but swelling often occurs without a known trigger. Even if people living with HAE are taking prophylactic (preventative) treatment, they may still experience attacks. Those living with HAE face significant levels of anxiety which impacts their quality of life.

Every HAE attack
should be considered for treatment

When a person living with HAE recognizes they are having an attack, it is important to treat as soon as possible with on-demand treatment (also called rescue or acute treatment). HAE attacks can typically be treated by therapies that intervene in the pathway that leads to the sudden swelling attacks, blocking the activity of kallikrein-kinin system (KKS) cascade, or replacing the missing C1-inhibitor protein.

Working towards a
new era of oral treatment options

For more than a decade, the majority of approved treatments for HAE have been administered by injection or infusion, and are thereby associated with substantial treatment burden. KalVista developed the first oral on-demand medication to give patients flexibility and control in managing their attacks.