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Health See other Health Articles Title: New anti-clotting drug prevents stroke A new anti-clotting pill, rivaroxaban, has been found to be as effective as the standard medication of warfarin in preventing a stroke in a common form of heart beat irregularity. A study of more than 14,000 patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) showed no significant difference between rivaroxaban and warfarin in the prevention of blood clots and stroke. During the study period, a stroke or systemic embolism occurred in only 1.7 percent of the patients taking rivaroxaban compared with 2.2 percent of those taking warfarin, according to a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common form of abnormal heart rhythm (cardiac arrhythmia) in which the heart's two upper chambers (the atria) beat out of coordination with the two lower chambers (the ventricles). The condition usually causes disturbance in normal blood flow to organs and several complications such as palpitations, fainting, chest pain, or heart failure and a higher risk of stroke. Doctors commonly prescribe warfarin for people with AF and other disorders that put the individual at higher risks of blood clots and its related complications such as stroke. However, the new study founded by the manufacturers of rivaroxaban, Johnson & Johnson and Bayer, suggested that the new medication is also as effective as the standard treatment. "Warfarin, which we found in the '50s and '60s, is a very good drug in preventing stroke, but it's sometimes difficult to use," said co-author of the study Dr. Manesh R. Patel from Duke University. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved rivaroxaban, also referred to by the brand name of xarelto, for preventing blood clots after knee and hip surgery, and the organization is expected to decide whether to approve it in the much larger stroke-prevention market later this year. Many experts welcome rivaroxaban as a new option for doctors in preventing blood clots and strokes but not as a replacement for warfarin in those patients who already take results from the regular treatment. Experts, however, caution that doctors and patients need to consider that the studies so far have not addressed how to treat a life-threatening hemorrhage linked to the use of the rivaroxaban, suggesting that only long-term follow ups may weigh the benefits and hazards of the new medication. SJM/HJL Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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