Coumadin, Warfarin News

Physicians at the Maywood, Ill-based Loyola University Medical Center report that the drug Coumadin may eventually be replaced by a new generation of blood-thinning drugs to treat atrial fibrillation patients at risk for stroke.

DOCTOR Petronella Manning-Alleyne yesterday said she decided to speak out about the quality of medicine available in the health sector because of variations in the results from medication used by her brother, former Prime Minister Patrick Manning.

An experimental anti-clotting drug that Merck & Co. is developing was found to increase risk of dangerous internal bleeding in a second study, meaning it's unlikely to achieve the blockbuster status once expected - if it's even approved.

Within a few years, a new generation of easy-to-use blood-thinning drugs will likely replace Coumadin for patients with irregular heartbeats who are at risk for stroke, according to a journal article by Loyola University Medical Center physicians.

Newswise - MAYWOOD, Ill. -- Within a few years, a new generation of easy-to-use blood-thinning drugs will likely replace Coumadin for patients with irregular heartbeats who are at risk for stroke, according to a journal article by Loyola University Medical Center physicians.

FRIDAY Feb. 3, 2012 -- A major head-to-head trial finds that aspirin is equally as good as warfarin in preventing stroke and death in heart failure patients.

THURSDAY Feb. 2, 2012 -- A new medication that helps prevent strokes in people with the abnormal heart rhythm disorder known as atrial fibrillation poses less risk of bleeding in the brain than a commonly used drug, research comparing rivaroxaban and warfarin suggests.

It is interesting to note that the bleeding risk was the same for both doses. This was irrespective of whether patients were taking aspirin alone or a combination of aspirin and clopidogrel, whether they had renal failure, and even their age, although the higher dose had an increased trend toward major bleeding compared with the lower dose .

THURSDAY, Jan. 19 -- People taking blood thinners who suffer a minor head injury should undergo repeat CT scans, researchers say.

How many times have you taken a pill, then wondered five minutes later, "Did I take it? Did I not? Should I take another one? Should I wait till tomorrow and try harder to keep track?" A recent study by the New England Journal of Medicine showed just how dangerous sloppiness in the pill-taking department can be.

If you watch television or read a newspaper you've probably seen the wave of direct-to-consumer advertising for the anticlotting drug Pradaxa .

People who take a newer blood thinner to prevent strokes may have a slightly higher risk of heart attack, a review of research finds.