Thousands of patients get new drug to cut risk of blood clots on their lungs
- - Experts say anti-clotting agent Rivaroxaban is more patient-friendly
- - It cuts stays in hospital for treatment and long-term monitoring
- - Drug is set to replace warfarin, a treatment based on rat poison, and heparin
- injections
By JENNY HOPE
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A once-a-day pill for patients with a potentially deadly blood clot on the lungs has been given the go-ahead on the NHS.
The drug is set to replace warfarin, a treatment based on rat poison which has been used since the 1950s, and heparin injections.
Rivaroxaban is more patient-friendly, cutting stays in hospital for treatment and long-term monitoring.
Rivaroxaban, once-a-day pill for patients with a potentially deadly blood clot on the lungs has been given the go-ahead on the NHS
Around 38,000 people in England and Wales who suffer a pulmonary embolism (PE) each year could benefit – with 6,500 expected to take it for life.
The pill is one of a new generation of anti-clotting agents that have been approved for other conditions including heart rhythm disorders and are expected to become blockbuster drugs.
Dr Alexander Cohen, Honorary Consultant Vascular Physician at King’s College Hospital said ‘It is excellent news that PE patients will now have access to rivaroxaban (correct lower case) on the NHS - the first oral treatment since the introduction of warfarin in the 1950s.
‘I am confident that this patient-centred, oral single drug approach will benefit patients’ quality of life and reduce the burden on the NHS.’
PE is the leading cause of preventable death in hospital, causing up to 32,000 deaths each year, more than the combined total of deaths from breast cancer, AIDS and traffic accidents.
Surgery, obesity and immobility – such as long haul flights – are among triggers for PE.
Ex-England footballer Paul Robinson, 33, had a pulmonary embolism over Easter and now needs to take six months off work
New guidance (today wed) from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence means the drug will be available on the NHS throughout the UK (to subs includes Scotland).
Professor Beverley Hunt, Medical Director of Lifeblood: The Thrombosis Charity said patients would get a better quality of life.
She said ‘Having a PE can be terrifying for it can strike without warning, often resulting in patients having to spend time in intensive care, sometimes facing months of recovery, and always in fear of a recurrence.
‘Patients on the standard treatment of heparin injections and warfarin also have to endure regular blood testing and frequent clinic visits for dose readjustment, and have to get used to diet restriction.
‘This regime can have a huge impact on patients’ daily lives and difficulties in managing it can often exacerbate their worries of experiencing another PE.’
A pulmonary embolism (PE) occurs after deep vein thrombosis (DVT), when a blood clot in the deep veins of the legs breaks off and travels to the lungs.
A PE blocks the blood supply to the lungs, resulting in the lungs collapsing and heart failure.
Even if it is not fatal, it can cause long-term disability.
The total cost to the UK of managing the condition is estimated at £640 million annually.
A physician at King¿s College Hospital said that the introduction of the drug was excellent news and a new development in care
Ex-England footballer Paul Robinson, 33, had a pulmonary embolism over Easter and now needs to take six months off work.
The Blackburn goalkeeper developed it after an operation on his back.
Rivaroxaban acts at a critical point in the blood-clotting process to prevent the formation of clots.
Experts claim the daily pill costing £2.10 cuts the length of hospital stay for affected patients and aftercare.
Warfarin, which is still used in large doses to kill vermin, is inconvenient for patients because careful monitoring and regular blood tests are needed to prevent excessive bleeding from cuts or stomach ulcers, requiring frequent clinic visits for testing.
It can also interact badly with other drugs, alcohol and certain foods, including green vegetables and grapefruit.
Patients are prescribed rivaroxaban, also known as Xarelto, for varying lengths of time, from three, six and 12 months to life, and Nice said the drug was cost-effective all durations compared with existing care.
Eve Knight, chief executive of the charity, AntiCoagulation Europe said ‘As someone who has suffered a PE, I fully understand what a frightening experience this is.
‘It is important for both patients and clinicians to have a choice of appropriate treatments that will treat the disease and reduce the incidence of PE and the possibility of sudden death.’
Professor Carole Longson of Nice said warfarin treatment meant regular visits to hospital or GP appointments, and could be costly and inconvenient with some people having to take time off work.
The drug was co-developed by Bayer AG and Johnson & Johnson and is expected to make peak sales worth two billion euros a year in Europe.
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