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Pradaxa’s side effects have been in the news recently. Here’s a sample of some recent articles:
• Cleveland Clinic study shows higher heart attack risk from Pradaxa (CBS News, January 11, 2012)
• Taking Pradaxa increases risk of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) and heart attack by 33% (Wall Street Journal, January 11, 2012)
• Physicians say “Pradaxa Needs More Study”
So what’s the “Pradaxa problem”? Recently, the manufacturer of Pradaxa, Boeringer Ingelheim, released data indicating that 50 serious bleeding related deaths occurred from this drug. No further information was provided. Considering how this medication is so heavily advertised, news of adverse reactions bears monitoring in the near future. It may be that these deaths were an outcome of the natural risk of anticoagulation therapy or the frailty of the population taking this medication (i.e., the elderly). However, the lack of further information is disturbing.
Included are the following Wikipedia articles, formatted for the Kindle:
1. Dabigatran (Pradaxa)
2. Warfarin (Coumadin)
3. How Coagulation Works
4. Anticoagulants
5. Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
6. Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib)
7. Clopidogrel (Plavix)
All the hyperlinks and images have been preserved, as well as the original Table of Contents. The purpose is to give you a basis for more detailed research.
(Dr. Krakow is a former Family Practice physician. Currently, he is a medical writer. Dr. Krakow received his MD degree from the Temple University School of Medicine, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He did his Family Practice residency at the Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland, Pennsylvania.)
The cover image, More in-depth version of the coagulation cascade, by Wikipedia user Joe D, was uploaded to Wikipedia on April 22, 2007. The image is at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Coagulation_full.svg
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