And maybe we don't need rat poison anymore. The lack of an antidote was the reason a friend of mine discontinued use.
http://whtc.com/news/articles/2013/nov/18/pradaxa-antidote-works-fast-completely-in-small-trial/
An experimental antidote to the widely used blood clot preventer
Pradaxa worked immediately and completely in an early-stage trial among
healthy volunteers, raising hopes that the drug's blood-thinning effects
can be reversed in emergency situations.
"These are absolutely exciting findings," said Dr. Stephan Glund, a
research executive of privately held Boehringer Ingelheim
Pharmaceuticals, the German drugmaker that developed Pradaxa and is
testing the antidote.
Pradaxa, also known as dabigatran, was approved in 2010 to prevent
strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat
that affects more than 2.5 million American adults and which raises the
risk of stroke fivefold. It works by blocking thrombin, a blood enzyme
involved with clotting.
And an antidote could not hit the market soon enough for this dangerous medication...
ReplyDeleteOne of the big “selling” points for Pradaxa as opposed to coumadin is that the patient taking Pradaxa does not have to submit himself or herself to regular blood draws and dietary restrictions. What promoters of Pradaxa conveniently do not tell physicians and patients is that there is no commonly available antidote for a Pradaxa overdose. Thus, should a patient’s Pradaxa levels reach a toxic level, he or she has a good chance of bleeding to death while physicians watch helplessly. Pradaxa levels are effected by advanced age, renal (kidney) function, extremes in body weight, and drug-drug interactions (aspirin, ibuprofen, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, and many other commonly used drugs). According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, “In early 2013, there is still no routine coagulation test suitable for monitoring these patients; specific tests are only available in specialized laboratories. In early 2013 there is no antidote for dabigatran, rivaroxaban or apixaban, nor any specific treatment with proven efficacy for severe bleeding linked to these drugs. Recommendations on the management of bleeding in this setting are based mainly on pharmacological parameters and on scarce experimen-Haemodialysis reduces the plasma concentration of dabigatran, while rivaroxaban and apixaban cannot be eliminated by dialysis.”
In the last few years, several thousand patients, who have suffered serious injuries including death, have sued Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the manufacturer of Pradaxa for failing to warn patients and their physicians about the serious adverse events that may result from taking Pradaxa. Many of these suits also allege that Boehringer promoted Pradaxa as being safer than coumadin.
If your physician has prescribed Pradaxa for you, you should immediately discuss whether there are safer alternative drugs for you. After weighing the risks and benefits, you and your physician can determine what drug is best for you. If you have taken Pradaxa, and have suffered uncontrollable bleeding, you might want to consider consulting with a lawyer.
- Paul J. Molinaro, M.D., J.D.
http://www.888mdjdlaw.com