NEWS: Ximelagatran Shows Promise in Preventing Strokes

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Ximelagatran Shows Promise in Preventing Strokes

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ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters Health) Dec 10 - Far fewer patients with

atrial fibrillation experienced strokes after taking preventive doses

of AstraZeneca Plc's experimental drug ximelagatran (Exanta) than did

patients who took warfarin, the company announced on Monday.

Interim results of a phase II trial were presented here at the 43rd

annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. The long-term

trial involves 125 patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation who

received regular doses of ximelagatran and 42 patients who received

warfarin.

Preliminary results show that patients taking ximelagatran

experienced 0.9 strokes and 0.4 transient ischemic attacks per 100

treatment years. Treatment ranged from 21 to 24 months, the company

said. In contrast, patients treated with warfarin (Coumadin)

experienced 2.6 strokes and 2.6 transient ischemic attacks per 100

treatment years.

Astra said the incidence of major bleeding was 0.9 per 100 treatment

years for ximelagatran compared with 2.6 per 100 treatment years for

warfarin.

" Coumadin has so many issues, in terms of the drugs it interacts with

and the extent to which it has to be monitored to be sure it's at the

right level, " analyst Arnold of Sanford C. Bernstein said.

Therefore, " even if [ximelagatran] is the equivalent to Coumadin, it

will still be used extensively in our view in these populations, " she

added.

AstraZeneca's chief executive officer said last week that

ximelagatran, if cleared by the FDA, would be the first new

anticoagulant pill in 50 years.