Dabigatran Compared With Warfarin for Stroke Prevention With Atrial Fibrillation: Experience in Hong Kong

Wiley: 10/25/12

Dabigatran is an oral direct thrombin inhibitor recently approved for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF) as an alternative to warfarin. The primary advantages of dabigatran are freedom from monitoring and less interaction with other drugs and food. It is ideal for patients who are unwilling to adhere to regular coagulation monitoring or whose therapeutic effect using warfarin is not optimal despite adequate monitoring and management. However, the impact of dabigatran on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and drug compliance has been less evaluated. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and humanistic outcomes of dabigatran use in Hong Kong.

Dabigatran 110 mg twice daily was non-inferior in stroke prophylaxis in AF patients compared to adjusted-dose warfarin; while dabigatran 150 mg twice daily was superior to adjusted-dose warfarin in the real world data in Hong Kong. Read more