Three therapies may reverse action of new blood-thinning drug
Atrial Fibrillation Friday, June 22nd, 2012Newsroom.heart.org: June 20, 2012.
Study Highlights:
- New oral blood thinners are easier to take than the older drug warfarin, but there is no clear method to reverse the action and prevent dangerous bleeding if a person suffers an accident or needs emergency surgery.
- In a laboratory test of reversal methods, three different approaches were able to alter the anticoagulant action of apixaban.
- The research is part of the American Heart Association’s Emerging Science Series, afree online webinar presentation. View the webinar atwww.scientificsessions.org/emergingscience
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DALLAS, June 20, 2012 — Three approaches may reverse the blood thinning action of the new oral anticoagulant drug apixaban when a person suffers an accident or needs emergency surgery, according to laboratory research presented in the American Heart Association’s Emerging Science Series webinar.
drug apixaban when a person suffers an accident or needs emergency surgery, according to laboratory research presented in the American Heart Association’s Emerging Science Series webinar.Some of the therapeutic strategies that reverse the blood thinner warfarin may be effective with newer oral anticoagulants such as apixaban and rivaroxaban. The newer drugs require less frequent blood tests, have fewer interactions with foods and other medications and doses are less variable.
“Despite these advantages, there is one common side effect of all blood thinners that can be severe — excess bleeding,” said Gines Escolar, M.D., Ph.D., study author and associate professor of hematology at the University of Barcelona in Spain.
“If you have an accident or need emergency surgery, doctors have three ways to reverse warfarin that work in a matter of minutes to hours. In contrast, there is little information on how best to reverse the effects of newer anticoagulants, which can take 10-18 hours.” Read more
