–Compared to dabigatran, rivaroxaban was associated with more intracranial and other serious bleeds. A new observational study finds that patients who take rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Johnson & Johnson) may be more likely to have serious bleeding events than patients who take dabigatran (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim). In a paper published in JAMA Internal Medicine, David Graham and…
More Questions Raised About Boehringer Ingelheim’s Pradaxa
July 23, 2014 by 1 Comment
Once again dabigatran (Pradaxa) has raised the wrath of the critics. Several articles and an editorial published today in The BMJ raise more questions and concerns about the drug, which is the first of the new oral anticoagulants. Relying on new evidence along with previously disclosed data, Deborah Cohen, the investigations editor for The BMJ, casts doubt on the reliability…
Boehringer Ingelheim Settles US Pradaxa Litigation For $650 Million
May 28, 2014 by 1 Comment
Boehringer Ingelheim said today that it will pay $650 million in a “comprehensive settlement” of lawsuits over Pradaxa (dabigatran), the company’s novel anticoagulant. The company said that it expects the settlement will resolve about 4,000 current cases against the company in the US. … Click here to read the full post on Forbes. …
FDA Study Provides Some Reassurance About Boehringer Ingelheim’s Pradaxa
May 13, 2014 by 1 Comment
In the latest development in its ongoing review of the new oral anticoagulant dabigatran (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim), the FDA today offered largely reassuring news about the sometimes controversial drug. The FDA study of 134,000 Medicare patients found that dabigatran was associated with a reduced risk for ischemic stroke, bleeding in the brain, and death, compared to warfarin….
Boehringer Ingelheim’s Pradaxa Gains New Indication
April 7, 2014 by 1 Comment
The new oral anticoagulants continue to gain additional indications from the FDA. Earlier today Boehringer Ingelheim announced that the FDA had approved Pradaxa (dabigatran) for the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes both deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). … Click here to read the full post on Forbes. …
FDA Plans New Safety Assessment Of Dabigatran (Pradaxa)
January 3, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Since the approval of dabigatran (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim) in Europe in 2008 and in the US in 2010 there have been persistent and lingering concerns about the drug’s safety. Now the FDA plans to perform a large new assessment of the drug compared to warfarin. n December 30 the FDA posted a request for public comment on a…
New Trial Confirms Role For Pradaxa In Venous Thromboembolism
December 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment
A new study helps support a role for the new oral anticoagulant dabigatran (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim) in patients with venous thrombosis (VTE). The RE-COVER II trial, published online in Circulation, confirms the finding of the earlier and highly similar RE-COVER trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2009, that dabigatran is as safe and effective as warfarin for…
Large Study Finds Favorable Risk-Benefit Profile For The New Anticoagulants
December 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment
A very large new meta-analysis finds a favorable risk-benefit for the new oral anticoagulant drugs in the setting of atrial fibrillation. The findings, published online in the Lancet, were remarkably consistent for all four of the new agents which have been fighting to replace warfarin, which was the only oral anticoagulant available for decades until the arrival of…
Disappointing Results with Dabigatran for Mechanical Valves
September 1, 2013 by 1 Comment
Despite being more durable than bioprosthetic valves, mechanical heart valves are often not chosen because of the requirement for lifelong anticoagulant therapy. It has been hoped that the newer generation of oral anticoagulants might eventually replace warfarin, making anticoagulation more tolerable and better accepted, since these agents don’t require continuous monitoring and have much fewer…
Anticoagulation Update: New Agent For Urgent Anticoagulation Reversal, Pradaxa Label Revised
April 30, 2013 by 1 Comment
Here are two small but important changes in the anticoagulation field: FDA approves new product for urgent reversal of anticoagulation. … Pradaxa label gains boxed warning. … Click here to read the full story on Forbes. …
Registry Study Offers Reassurance About Safety And Efficacy Of Dabigatran
April 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment
As the first new oral anticoagulant since warfarin, dabigatran (Pradaxa, Boehringer-Ingelheim) has been subject to intense concerns over its safety and efficacy in a real-world population. Last November an FDA investigation found no indication that bleeding rates for dabigatran were any higher than bleeding rates for warfarin. A new study from Scandinavia, published in the Journal of the American…
FDA Officials Calm Concerns Over Excessive Bleeding With Dabigatran
March 13, 2013 by 1 Comment
Concerns over excessive bleeding complications with dabigatran (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim) as compared with warfarin are most likely due to the heightened sensitivity and vigilance that can accompany a new drug, according to FDA officials in a perspective published online in the New England Journal of Medicine. “We believe that the large number of reported cases…
New Studies Examine Prolonged Anticoagulation For VTE Recurrence
February 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Three studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine provide important new information about the risks and benefits of extended prophylaxis using two of the new oral anticoagulants in patients who have had venous thromboembolism (VTE). … In an accompanying editorial, Jean Connors writes that “deciding how to balance the risks and benefits of extended anticoagulation is…
Two Experts Help Sort Out The New Generation Of Anticoagulants
January 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Don’t miss this very practical discussion about the new generation of anticoagulants and the short term loan costs to cover them over on CardioExchange. Here are a few excerpts. Christian Thomas Ruff: I believe the addition of the 3 currently approved novel anticoagulants (dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban) will eventually translate into a greater proportion of eligible patients…
FDA Approves Eliquis (Apixaban) For Stroke Prevention In AF
December 28, 2012 by 4 Comments
The FDA has finally approved apixaban (Eliquis, Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer) to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. The action comes after the widely-anticipated drug had been plagued by delays at the FDA but well before the PDUFA deadline of March 17, 2013. Eliquis is the latest…
Pradaxa To Be Contraindicated In Patients With Mechanical Heart Valves
December 18, 2012 by 1 Comment
Boehringer Ingelheim is starting to inform physicians about a new contraindication for its oral anticoagulant drug Pradaxa (dabigatran). The company has told investigators in trials utilizing dabigatran that it will shortly be sending a “Dear Doctor Letter,” also known as a Direct Healthcare Professional Communication (DHPC), to healthcare professionals. The letter will inform physicians that…
Boehringer Ends Phase 2 Trial Of Dabigatran In Mechanical Valve Patients
December 12, 2012 by 2 Comments
Boehringer Ingelheim today announced that it had discontinued a phase 2 trial of its anticoagulant drug dabigatran (Pradaxa) in patients with mechanical heart valves. As reported here in October, the company had previously terminated one arm of the study after an interim review of the data by the trial’s Data Safety Monitoring Board The RE-ALIGN trial was an open-label,…
FDA Investigation Finds No Excess Bleeding Risk For Dabigatran
November 2, 2012 by 1 Comment
In its latest assessment of a highly controversial issue, the FDA has found no indication that bleeding rates for dabigatran (Pradaxa, Boehringer-Ingelheim) are any higher than the bleeding rates for warfarin. The FDA investigation was in response to the large number of post-marketing reports of bleeding in people taking dabigatran. Click here to for the…
Setback For Trial Studying Dabigatran After Mechanical Valve Surgery
October 23, 2012 by 2 Comments
Despite the recent advent of novel oral anticoagulants, the much-maligned warfarin remains the only current option available for patients who have received a mechanical valve. Now the first trial to explore this indication for a newer oral anticoagulant has suffered a setback. Last year Boehringer Ingelheim announced the launch of the RE-ALIGN trial, a phase…
High Rate Of Warfarin Discontinuation Observed In Study
October 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment
One of the many potential problems with warfarin-based anticoagulant therapy is the poor rate of adherence and persistence among patients who are prescribed the drug. Now a new observational study published in Archives of Internal Medicine raises the possibility that the problem may be even worse than many may have previously suspected, as discontinuation rates in clinical…
Growing Popularity Of Dabigatran Leads To Increased Complications
June 7, 2012 by 1 Comment
Since its approval in the United States in October 2010 dabigatran (Pradaxa) has been prescribed 3.2 million times to more than 600,000 patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF), according to its manufacturer, Boehringer Ingelheim. The company also announced that, based on the pivotal RE-LY trial, the “Clinical Studies” section of the drug’s prescribing information now…
When You’re Hot You’re Hot: Salim Yusuf Second Most Influential Scientist in 2011
April 25, 2012 by 1 Comment
McMaster University’s Salim Yusuf has tied for second place in the annual ranking of the “hottest” scientific researchers, according to Thomson Reuter’s Science Watch. Yusuf was a co-author of 13 of the most cited papers in 2011. Only one other researcher, genomic pioneer Eric Lander of the Broad Institute of MIT, had more highly-cited papers than Yusuf. Two of…
Study Explores Role of Periprocedural Dabigatran in AF Ablation
February 2, 2012 by 1 Comment
Updated with a comment from John Mandrola– As dabigatran becomes more widely used in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients, electrophysiologists are now trying to figure out how to handle anticoagulation in patients taking dabigatran (Pradaxa) for whom AF ablation is planned. In a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy and colleagues…
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