Blood Thinners

Warfarin has been the “go to” drug for afib patients for a very long time. But a new study says that half of the people taking it aren’t getting any benefit from the drug at all. This is pretty disturbing, given all the risks associated with taking the drug in the first place. Half of patients with Afib (49.4%) failed to maintain optimal blood clotting levels in the medically recommended therapeutic range to reduce the risk of stroke or potentially […]

READ MORE

Managing the risk of stroke is the front-and-center concern for most afib patients. And, of course, most of us are taking blood thinners in the hopes of doing just that. A recent article in The Healthcare Blog points out that taking warfarin can reduce the risk of stroke by about 10%. The doctor who wrote the blog advocates the use of aspirin for patients who have a low risk of stroke. Last week, however, I directed your attention to a […]

READ MORE

How do the new oral blood thinners stack up to Warfarin, the tried-and-true drug? On the whole, doctors are saying the new drugs offer better outcomes…but more side effects, specifically gastrointestinal bleeding. However, doctors still seem more enthusiastic about the new drugs. Overall, “the new oral anticoagulants show a favorable balance between efficacy and safety compared with warfarin, which is consistent across a wide range of patients with atrial fibrillation known to be at high risk for both ischemic and […]

READ MORE

There are three major “new” anticoagulants (blood thinners). These are Xarelto, Pradaxa, and Eliquis. They are in a tight race for market share and customer loyalty. Xarelto generated $246 million in sales in the third quarter. Pradaxa generated $102 million in sales for the third quarter. Eliquis generated $41 million in sales in the third quarter. You can read the full story here. These sales figures don’t mention Coumadin (Warfarin) at all, other than to note these drugs as “inconvenient.” […]

READ MORE