New Pill for Safer Blood
Clot Prevention
Description and Advantages
A new blood-thinning pill seems
to work at least as well as the standard treatments
for warding off blood clots, but kicks in more quickly
and could be safer and easier to take, new research
indicates. Scientists who were presented with the evidence
at a medical conference this week in Paris said that
the new drug, Exanta, could dramatically improve the
quality of life of millions of people taking blood clot
treatments. It would be the first anti-clotting pill
of its type to emerge since warfarin, also known as
Coumadin, was introduced more than 50 years ago.
The research, presented at a meeting
of the International Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis,
showed the drug prevented blood clots in the legs of
people undergoing hip or knee surgery just as successfully
as warfarin or similar injectable drugs, known as low
molecular weight heparins. People undergoing such surgery
have the highest risk of getting a potentially fatal
clot the main gripes with warfarin are that its performance
is influenced by food containing vitamin K and by other
drugs and that it is difficult to get the right dose.
For that reason, doctors often also use the injectable
heparin, which takes effect immediately.
Although low molecular weight heparins
do not require blood thickness monitoring, they are
injected into the belly, which can be inconvenient.
They also increase the risk of osteoporosis. The new
drug is not affected by food, and patients using it
don't require injections or regular monitoring of blood
thickness. Exanta, made by AstraZeneca, intervenes in
the blood clotting process at a later stage than Coumadin
or heparin. The latest research consisted of two studies.
One compared Exanta to Coumadin in 680 knee replacement
patients in Canada and the United States. The other
pitted the drug against low molecular weight heparins
in 2,788 Europeans getting new hips or knees. Experts
say Exanta could become available within a year.
Area of
Application
A new blood-thinning pill
is used for warding off blood clots, for example in
the legs of people undergoing hip or knee surgery.
Source:
Pharmabiz, August 2, 2001
