Pill Reduces Risk of Blood Clots After Hip Replacement
BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI, SEPTEMBER 18, 2007
As published in the Lancet this week, results of a new trial showed that a pill called dabigatran etexilate (DE) was as effective as the injected drug enoxaparin in reducing the risk of blood clots following total hip replacement. DE is manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim, who funded the study.
The study was randomized and double-blind. 3,494 patients received either 220 mg of DE, 150 mg of DE, or an injection of 40 mg of enoxaparin for 28-35 days, beginning on the night before surgery. 2,651 patients were available for follow-up.
Results showed that blood clots or death from all causes occurred in 6% of patients who received 220 mg of DE, 8.6% of patients who received 150 mg of DE and 6.7% of patients who received enoxoparin injections. Bleeding rates, frequency of coronary events and liver enzyme concentrations were similar among all three groups.
The importance of DE could lie in its potential to improve patient outcomes. The pill provides a more practical treatment option than daily injections, a benefit that could increase compliance and with it reduce the risk of blood clots, which is known to be a major risk for hip replacement patients.
