If you are suffering from atrial fibrillation, a new drug may soon be part of your therapeutic choices to improve your condition. According to a news report on the Los Angeles Times, an experimental blood thinner called rivaroxaban has been found to be “at least as good at preventing strokes as the old warhorse warfarin”.
Rivaroxaban was found to sharply reduce the risk of major bleeding among stroke patients.
With its promising results in clinical tests, experts say that rivaroxaban (along with the Pradaxa, which was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) can change the game when it comes to patient care and management for stroke patients.
Dr. Shephal Doshi, director of electrophysiology and pacing at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, told Los Angeles Times:
“For most patients, this will change the way we manage them and give them a better quality of life than [warfarin]. They will not have to constantly get their blood levels [of anti-coagulant] checked and will have much more freedom of diet. … We’ve received more e-mails from patients about these two drugs than about any other therapeutic thing.”
The two new drugs could be alternatives to warfarin which often has unforeseeable interactions with food.
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NOTE: Please note that rivaroxaban is still under study and has not been approved by the U.S. FDA.