The drug, known as Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate), received its licence today and will become available to hospitals within weeks.
It will be used initially to prevent clots after hip and knee replacement surgery when the risk of blood clotting is high.
But the hope is that the drug will open the door to more effective treatments for thousands of other patients at risk of heart conditions and strokes.
Currently, the number of deaths linked to blood clots accounts for one in 10 of all deaths in UK hospitals.
Beverly Hunt, medical director of the UK thrombosis charity Lifeblood , said: ‘The development of new drugs to treat blood clots is terribly exciting.
‘The potential benefit to the NHS is enormous.’
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Comments
STEPHEN BIRD
21/04/2008
What does 'linked to' mean? Is it that 1 in 10 Post Mortem examinations identified some degree of (asymptomatic) DVT or that there was evidence of significant clot morbidity preceeding & contributing to death?
roy evison
21/04/2008
Is Pradaxa meant or likely to replace Warfarin? What would the implications be to staff and the possible lack of monitoring?
If warfarin is so toxic and needs constant monitering then what is so wonderful about this one .i.e if warfarin makes you bleed then how can this one act in a different fashion?
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