Anticoagulation therapy is used to treat deep vein thrombosis, which is a blood clot in veins of the legs, pelvis or arms. Researchers say several new studies show the medication ximelagatran (Exanta), could simplify anticoagulation therapy.
In the first study, researchers studied DVT( Deep vein thrombosis) patients and compared the effectiveness and safety of ximelagatran compared to standard treatment with the anticoagulants enoxaparin (Lovenox) and warfarin (Coumadin). Current therapy for patients with acute venous thromboembolism consists of about a week of the anticoagulant heparin (Calciparine or Liquaemin) overlapped with and followed by long-term, oral anticoagulation therapy such as warfarin. Warfarin is given orally but is associated with unpredictable responses, and continued monitoring and adjustments are therefore necessary. Researchers found ximelagatran was as effective as enoxaparin/warfarin without the need for coagulation monitoring or dose adjustment.In another study, researchers studied the effectiveness of ximelagatran compared to warfarin for prevention of strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation.It was found that the primary event rate for strokes associated with ximelagatran was 1.6 percent per year and with warfarin was 1.2 percent per year and there was no major difference between treatment groups in rates of major bleeding, but total bleeding was lower with ximelagatran.
