It’s crazy out there in blood thinner land.
The novel blood thinning drug for patients with atrial fibrillation, Dabigatran (Pradaxa) cannot get a break.
It’s all over the TV: Pradaxa = Bad Drug.
Look at this image:
Today, on the prestigious heart news site, theHeart.org, an insignificant 113-patient study presented as a poster at a small symposium’by a researcher with ties to anti-coagulation clinics’gets attention because a few patients on dabigatran developed well-known complications. Though the author makes important points, namely, that blood-thinners should be used cautiously and patients should be well-informed about the risks and benefits, the study added nothing to what is already known about dabigatran.
Gosh. I can’t believe I feel a twinge of empathy for a big pharma company.
Here’s a news flash:
Dabigatran and rivaroxaban are blood thinners. They lower the risk of stroke, but increase the risk of bleeding. It’s the same for warfarin. When these two agents were compared to warfarin in huge randomized controlled clinical trials, they both looked favorable.
For my entire career, I have heard the downsides of warfarin. Now, we have two drugs that prevent more strokes than warfarin, don’t require blood checks, have no dietary interactions, minimal drug-drug interactions and are not used to poison rats. Do they worsen bleeding when one falls? Yes. So does warfarin.
Folks, of course it is better to not have a disease that increases the risk of stroke. That’s what I have been saying since I started this blog. Prevention is better. Go to bed on time, exercise every day that you eat, eat less, drink fewer irritants, don’t sweat getting a B+ and smile at your neighbor. I know; these are hard therapies with which to comply adhere.
But blood thinners are not bad medicines. They are medicines. They have risks and they have benefits. And the alternative: a patient can have the disease and its inherent risks.
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By John Mandrola, MD
Dr. Mandrola is a cardiologist who specializes in heart rhythm disorders. He writes about doctoring and cycling at http://www.drjohnm.dreamhosters.com/More posts by Author
You guys are missing the point. Everybody knows all anticoagulants carry bleeding risks. But other ACs also have reversal agents to stop bleeding in emergencies, which Pradaxa does not. This is why the FDA has received more adverse reports on Pradaxa than 98% of other blood thinners.
It seems like the ambulance chasing lawyers are at it again. I take pradaxa - a year now, credit it with no strokes, have no evidence of bleeding- what more can you ask of it ?
How do you know you would have had a stroke or evidence of bleeding had you not taken Pradaxa for the past year?
Amen! Even low dose aspirin therapy has similar issues. I have Inflammatory Arthritis, the meds I take have nasty side effects, but being constantly febrile, exhausted and unable to walk are much worse on a daily basis. One has to weigh the pros and cons of any drug therapy.