Pradaxa eliminates the need to monitor INR in Atrial Fibrillation patients

Good news for atrial fibrillation (AF) patients whogroup.  Stroke or clot in other blood vessels
require taking warfarin to prevent stroke.  It isoccurred in 55 patients on low-dose Pradaxa, 51
well known that routine blood monitor and foodpatients on high-dose Pradaxa and 64 patients on
interaction represent major hassles for patientswarfarin.  However, patients who were treated
taking warfrin. with the lower dose of Pradaxa were 32-percent
 less likely to experience a major bleeding event
However, a new drug, Pradaxa (dabigatran), mightthan those treated with wafarin.
be able to provide the same protection asBesides being an effective and safer anticoagulant,
warfarin without the need of blood monitoring andPradaxa does not interact with other foods and
food interaction in AF patients, according todoes not require routine blood monitoring.  In
research findings presented at the Americanother words, patients who take Pradaxa are free
Stroke Association's International Stroketo take any food they like and they do not
Conference.require to visit their physicians on a regularly basis
The findings were based on an analysis of afor blood test.
subgroup of 3623 patients from the RE-LY trial,Pradaxa is currently approved in some countries
which randomized patients to receive eitherfor the primary prevention of blood clots in
warfarin, a low dose of Pradaxa twice a day, or apatients who have undergone elective total hip or
higher dose of Pradaxa twice a day, for a mediantotal knee replacement surgery. It use, however,
of two years.has not been approved in the US.
At the end of the study, there were notAmerican Stroke Association's International
differences in the incidence of stroke or clotStroke Conference 2010
between any of the Pradaxa and warfarinPlease visit us at for more health related articles.