Anticoagulants

Atrial fibrillation patients not receiving guideline-recommended drugs to reduce stroke risk

Retrospective data analysis results show that the 16% of patients who were given anticoagulant prior to stroke showed reduction in stroke severity, lower odds of mortality and better functional outcomes.…

Rivaroxaban more effective than aspirin for preventing blood clots, study results suggest

Rivaroxaban is as safe as aspirin and more effective at preventing recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients who were in equipoise for continued anticoagulants, a study shows.…

Danish study confirms brain haemorrhage risk associated with anticoagulation

Patients prescribed antithrombotic drugs, such as low-dose aspirin, clopidogrel or warfarin, are at increased risk of having a subdural haematoma, research published in JAMA has confirmed.…

Safety issues highlighted with newer oral anticoagulant drugs

Analysis of ‘real-life’ data comparing newer direct oral anticoagulants with warfarin has identified adverse drug reactions (ADRs) ‘not previously associated’ with the new treatments, including hip fracture.…

Most popular features of 2016 from The Pharmaceutical Journal

Dawn Connelly describes the most popular features and infographics published in 2016.…

How to identify causes of a subtherapeutic INR

Pharmacists and healthcare professionals are often involved in the management of patients with subtherapeutic international normalised ratios (INRs), the cause of which is important to identify because this will affect decisions and the subsequent management of the patient.…

The BMJ accuses drug company of withholding data on faulty test device in rivaroxaban trial

Janssen may have withheld data from the US Food and Drug Administration about a faulty blood testing device used in a trial of the anticoagulation drug rivaroxaban, according to the results of an investigation by The BMJ.…

New oral anticoagulants for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation

Around 12,500 strokes are caused by atrial fibrillation (AF) in the UK each year, and 7,100 of these are preventable with appropriate anticoagulation. Four new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are now available in the UK in addition to warfarin.…

Assessing the impact of a targeted pharmacist-led anticoagulant review clinic

Local guidance, supported by the 2014 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline CG180 for atrial fibrillation (AF), recommends that patients receiving inadequate anticoagulation with a vitamin K antagonist (VKA), including time in therapeutic range (TTR) of <65%, should b…