New Blood Thinner Study In The News Again

A new blood thinner study summary (two of three studies, one of which is still ongoing) was published on line in the New England Journal of Medicine Today (The Einstein Investigators, 12/4/10 (10.1056/NEJM0a10079-3). The drug is a new kind of blood thinner (rivaroxiban) that inhibits an important clotting factor called 10a. The interesting thins about this study is that it compared this new medicine against an existing approved blood thinner (warfarin) and in 1,731 patients the authors concluded that this new drug offered a simple, single approach to bllod clots (venous thrombus). The patients studied had sudden and symptomatic blood clots in their legs (symptomatic DVT).

This approach may be very important because cumbersome laboratory testing which is required by a widely used, existing therapy is NOT required for rivaroxiban (or another medicine in the same family called dabigatran-Pradaxa). One other benefit (which still needs to be investigated) may be decreased time in the hospital (decreased length of stay) as the transition from other anticoagulants may be smoother or not needed. In any case, interesting research on an emerging medicine.

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