New blood thinner rivaroxaban better than warfarin
A new pill called rivaroxaban, taken once a day as a blood thinner, is as effective as the current main treatment, warfarin (Coumadin, Marevan, Waran) and is said to be even more effective.
The new findings come on just after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month approved another anti-clotting agent called dabigatran. Research showed the drug is superior to warfarin as an blood clotting agent. Three more pills are in the pipeline for possible marketing approval in the next few years.
For 60 years, the main treatment has been warfarin, however it can be difficult to use. Too little can lead to strokes; too much, dangerous bleeding. The correct dose varies so much that people must get frequent blood tests to adjust it, and even foods like leafy green vegetables can throw it off.
Rivaroxaban cut the risk of serious bleeding events, which is the most serious and consistent side effect of warfarin.
In addition to being as effective as warfarin as a blood thinner, it was similar in overall bleeding complications and produced less bleeding in the brain.
Both rivaroxaban and warfarin work by thinning the blood but rivaroxaban is less affected by certain foods and alcohol.
If approved, rivaroxaban would be sold by Johnson & Johnson Inc.’s Ortho-McNeil Division in the U.S.
According to the American Heart Association, around 15% of strokes occur in patients with atrial-fibrillation. Currently more than two million people have been diagnosed with atrial-fibrillation, with 5% affecting people over the age of 65.
to bad we cannot e-mail article to a person who uses Warfin and would like to know the new stuff
Paul, you left click with your mouse and hold the left click down, run your cursor over the text which “highlights” the text of the article (this creates a solid, thin black box around the text and makes the alphabetical characters look white ~ you right click, a drop down menu will appear, click on Copy on the drop down menu, you open an e-mail form, place your cursor into the e-mail form, right click, click on Paste when the drop down menu appears again…you should have “placed” and now have the text of the article within the e-mail form. You can also alter the text at this point ~ adding, deleting anything you might think is helpful by placing your cursor into the body of the text where you might want to change or add anything. If my instructions are unclear you could click HELP on your computer and under, Copy and Paste, read an expert explanation. Or you can “book mark” or “favorite place” or “insert into mail” and you can pull the the hyperlink from your list of book marked or favorite placed items into an e-mail form and the recipient can open this from that…or you can “Copy and Paste” the http://www.healthjackal.com/conditions/2010/11/16/new-blood-thinner-rivaroxaban-better-than-warfarin/ and place it into a e-mail form where it will become a hyperlink to the recipient…or if you are like I am, an afib patient who no longer works because the heart meds make my rear end drag and you have oodles of time, you could TYPE that web address into the text of the e-mail, creating a hyperlink to the article, but proofread it to make certain it is correct. You could also print the article out and snail mail it to your intended recipient. Good luck. This was sent to me…I refused to continue taking Coumadin after it became a career having constant blood draws. The wait at the lab was always over one hour, sitting in a small room with many infectiously sick people. I believe Coumadin is also one of the drugs which will make your hair fall out. I am a vain woman and becoming a billiard ball is not an option for me. I take aspirin. A full aspirin. I will not try this drug. I am in my sixties and it could have side effects I do not want to deal with. I am going out feet first sooner or later…and I am choosing to reduce stress, eat nutritiously, and engage in some form of MILD exercise. Pilates on a reform machine are good for this. Good day.
JJ, take cod liver oil. Thins blood in a safe way and I’ve been off of coumadin for years now. Add ginger, garlic, nattokinase and never have a clot problem again.