Warfarin News and Research

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Warfarin is a drug that prevents blood from clotting. It belongs to the family of drugs called anticoagulants (blood thinners).

Rivaroxaban shows promise in patients with acute coronary syndrome

Researchers reported on a study of a new oral anti-clotting agent - rivaroxaban - designed to identify doses that would be safe to test in subsequent Phase III efficacy and safety trials. The results of ATLAS ACS-TIMI 46 were presented as a late-breaking clinical trial at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008.

11 Nov 2008

Data expands the clinical utility of deCODE tests for heart attack, atrial fibrillation and stroke

Several presentations by deCODE genetics scientists and independent researchers at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2008 being held at the New Orleans Convention Center from November 8 to12 are expected to expand upon the clinical utility of evaluating individual risk of heart attack, or atrial fibrillation and stroke, respectively, by measuring the genetic markers that are the basis of the deCODE MI and deCODE AF tests.

11 Nov 2008

Tiny hearts may have big problems with complementary medicine

Giving supplement such as herbs, vitamins, and other natural health products to children taking Warfarin for congenital heart defects could increase their risk of clots, bleeding, and other complications, nurse practitioner Mary Bauman and Dr. Patti Massicotte told the 2008 Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.

28 Oct 2008

Improved communication about medications reduces complications among patients using common blood thinner

Patients who report receiving written and verbal instructions on the proper way to take the blood thinner warfarin are significantly less likely to suffer the serious gastrointestinal and brain bleeding problems that are associated with misuse of the drug, according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

27 Oct 2008

Warfarin linked to increased bleeding in brain

A new study shows that people who take the commonly used blood thinning drug warfarin may have larger amounts of bleeding in the brain and increased risk of death if they suffer a hemorrhagic stroke. The study is published in the September 30, 2008, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

29 Sep 2008

Factor Xa inhibitor Apixaban and antiplatelet therapy after acute coronary syndrome

Data from a phase II study of an investigational drug designed to block formation of blood clots show potential for added protection against a second heart attack or stroke among patients who are already taking state-of-the-art prevention therapy.

2 Sep 2008

European guidelines for acute pulmonary embolism

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a relatively common cardiovascular emergency. Clots originating in the leg veins may become detached and obstruct the lung vessels. This obstruction may lead to a rise of pressure in the pulmonary circulation and possibly to life-threatening heart failure.

2 Sep 2008

Gleevec receives FDA priority review for gastrointestinal stromal tumors after surgery

Novartis has announced that Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) tablets, (known as Glivec (imatinib) outside the US, Canada and Israel), has been granted priority review status by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the first therapy to be reviewed for use after surgery in kit-positive gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST).

27 Aug 2008

Warfarin may prevent liver failure in hepatitis C

The drug warfarin may help prevent liver failure in thousands of people with Hepatitis C, according to new research.

31 Jul 2008

Patent for Aciphex ruled valid and enforceable

PriCara, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced today that the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the judgments of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York that the patent for Aciphex (rabeprazole sodium 20 mg tablets) is valid and enforceable.

21 Jul 2008

Study examines heparin use following cardioembolic stroke

The common practice of administering heparin soon after cardioembolic stroke is associated with an increased risk for serious bleeding, according to an article posted online today that will appear in the September 2008 print issue of Archives of Neurology. However, it appears that anticoagulation with warfarin therapy may safely begin shortly after stroke.

14 Jul 2008

Pregnancy increases risk of acute myocardial infarction

Although acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is rare in women of child-bearing age, pregnancy can increase a woman's risk of heart attack 3- to 4-fold, according to a study published in the July 15, 2008, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

8 Jul 2008

New evidence-based blood clot guidelines for pregnant women

New evidence-based guidelines address the prevention and management of thrombosis in key patient populations and reinforce recommendations related to the routine use of preventive therapies.

24 Jun 2008

Less than 1 in 5 patients receive treatment to prevent venous thrombosis after surgery

Fewer than 1 in 5 patients received post-discharge therapy to prevent life-threatening blood clots - venous thrombosis - after hip- or knee-replacement surgery, report Rahme and colleagues in a retrospective cohort study. Venous thrombosis is one of the leading causes of death among hospital patients. However, elderly patients have a 70% lower chance of dying within 3 months if they take an anticoagulant drug to prevent blood clots.

2 Jun 2008

Fosamax use linked to atrial fibrillation in women

Women who have used Fosamax are nearly twice as likely to develop the most common kind of chronically irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) than are those who have never used it, according to research from Group Health and the University of Washington published in the April 28 Archives of Internal Medicine.

28 Apr 2008

Global Alliance for Pharmacogenomics

Leaders at the National Institutes of Health and the Center for Genomic Medicine in Japan have signed a letter of intent creating a Global Alliance for Pharmacogenomics.

15 Apr 2008

Study looks at use of powerful anticoagulants to prevent pulmonary embolism

Current US guidelines for the prescription of potent anticoagulants by surgeons who perform joint replacement operations could be doing patients more harm than good, according to Dr. Nigel Sharrock and his team from the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

1 Apr 2008

Is deep-vein thrombosis lurking in your legs?

They kill 300,000 people a year - but most of them could be prevented. They strike more than a million people every year, most of them out of the blue - and half without causing symptoms.

14 Mar 2008

FDA grants priority review for ACIPHEX (rabeprazole sodium) sNDA for treatment of GERD in adolescents

Eisai Corporation of North America, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tokyo-based Eisai Co., Ltd., has announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted an ACIPHEX supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for the short-term (up to eight weeks) treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in patients ages 12-16.

3 Mar 2008

Half of patients undergoing cerebrovascular stent placement do not respond well to clopidogrel

A study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center, published in the February issue of the American Journal of Neuroradiology, finds that half of patients undergoing cerebrovascular stent placement did not respond well to clopidogrel.

7 Feb 2008