Antibodies for the prevention or the treatment of bleeding episodes

A method for treating bleeding episodes in a patient in need thereof, wherein the bleeding episodes are characterized by increased von Willebrand factor (VWF) proteolysis, comprising administering to the patient a therapeutically effective amount of

• a monoclonal antibody having a heavy chain variable region and a light chain variable region, wherein the monoclonal antibody specifically binds to a peptide of SEQ ID NO:
• 1 derived from the D4 domain of human VWF, which competes for binding to VWF D4 domain with A Disintegrin And Metalloprotease with ThromboSpondin domains-13 (ADAMTS13) and inhibits between 50 and 80% of ADAMTS13-mediated degradation of high molecular weight (HMW)-multimers of VWF, wherein
• the heavy chain variable region comprises
• i) an amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:2,
• or
• ii) an H-CDR1, having an amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:3;
• an H-CDR2, having an amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:4;
• and an H-CDR3, having an amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:5;
• and
• the light chain variable region comprises
• iii) an amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6,
• or
• iv) a L-CDR1, having an amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:7;
• a L-CDR2, having an amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:8;
• and a L-CDR3, having an amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:9;
• or a fragment thereof, wherein the fragment thereof comprises each of the H-CDR1, the H-CDR2, the H-CDR-3, the L-CDR1, the L-CDR-2, and the L-CDR3.