As we all knew, patients who have a stroke or a transient ischemic attack have more than double the risk of having another attack.
Now a subanalysis of RE-LY study which was published in The Lancet Neurology indicated that dabigatran (Pradaxa) was as effective as warfarin in preventing stroke or system embolism, but with a reduced risk of bleeding.
The analysis was based on a subset of 3,623 patients included in the original 18, 113-patient trial, which randomized patients to receive one of two doses of Pradaxa twice daily, or warfarin, for an average of two years.
The subgroup analysis showed that those patients who have previous stroke and took the lower dose of Pradaxa had similar of rates of stroke or systemic embolism as those who took warfrain. Stroke or system embolism occurred in 55 patients on low-dose Pradaxa, 51 patients on high-dose Pradaxa and 65 patients on warfarin.
However, patients who took the lower dose of lower dose of Pradaxa had a reduced risk of major bleeding.
Now, patients who have strokes or systemic embolism have another effective and safe medicine to prevent another event.
Source: The Lancet Neurology, 2010
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