Journal raises concern about blood-thinning drug

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Journal raises concern about blood-thinning drug

<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/journal-raises-concern-blood-thinning-drug-212042298.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/dzKqSiQpBWxdkeQl5hvFiQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9NzU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/afp.com/dd51e7db6a3b9f6a014ec3c1324b7aa8773c2c9e.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="Pradaxa medicine on September 20, 2013 in Lens, northern France" align="left" title="Pradaxa medicine on September 20, 2013 in Lens, northern France" border="0" /></a>A key selling point of the drug known as Dabigatran or Pradaxa was that it required no blood-level monitoring, as does competitor warfarin. Dabigatran's maker, Boehringer Ingelheim, had said the drug was better than warfarin at reducing stroke in people with irregular heart rhythm, with a similar risk of major bleeds, according to the British Medical Journal (BMJ). Based on its own probe, the journal accused Boehringer of concealing information that blood-level monitoring could in fact reduce major bleeds by up to 30-40 percent compared to warfarin. According to BMJ investigations editor Deborah Cohen, who conducted the research, millions of people take the anti-clotting drug, with blood levels found to vary greatly between patients.</p><br clear="all"/>

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