Pulmonary Embolism Support Group
By far the most common form of pulmonary embolism is a thromboembolism, which occurs when a blood clot, generally a venous thrombus, becomes dislodged from its site of formation and embolizes to the arterial blood supply of one of the lungs. Symptoms may include difficulty breathing, pain during breathing, and more rarely circulatory instability and death.
Haven't seen this posted here, sorry if it's a repeat. Fairly big news since it's the first FDA approved drug since warfarin
Rivaroxaban/Xarelto has been approved by the FDA to treat DVTs and PEs. My concern is that insurance companies may prefer this since it does not require ongoing testing, but there is no reversal process. Although at the moment I am sure the mfg wants to recoup its R&D costs, and have read that yearly costs of Xarelto will run $3000 vs. $300, so insurers will likely not be pushing this for quite a while. Can't remember how long a patent lasts befoe they can offer generics, so may be quite a long while
http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryhusten/2012/11/02/rivaroxaban-gains-fda-indications-for-the-treatment-and-prevention-of-dvt-and-pe/
Chris
Rivaroxaban/Xarelto has been approved by the FDA to treat DVTs and PEs. My concern is that insurance companies may prefer this since it does not require ongoing testing, but there is no reversal process. Although at the moment I am sure the mfg wants to recoup its R&D costs, and have read that yearly costs of Xarelto will run $3000 vs. $300, so insurers will likely not be pushing this for quite a while. Can't remember how long a patent lasts befoe they can offer generics, so may be quite a long while
http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryhusten/2012/11/02/rivaroxaban-gains-fda-indications-for-the-treatment-and-prevention-of-dvt-and-pe/
Chris
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Look at what my best friend did with my picture!
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We all have 24 hours in a day. How we spend these hours is important. Watching a little bit of a video about how sitting affects us made me aware of how much sitting and laying down I do. Gonna have to work on that.Your turn. Tell me another truth.
We did a short article about this over on our Clot Connect website which gives an patient overview to include Pro's and Con's.
http://patientblog.clotconnect.org/2012/11/02/new-blood-thinner-xarelto-fda-approved-for-dvt-and-pe-treatment/
R/Tom
Even though they say that you don't need to monitor your INR levels, is there still a way to check that it is working in the right range for someone?
Hey Tom, what's your take on Xarelto compared to Pradaxa?
The last entry, should a person read the entire article:
"The Disadvantages of Xarelto
There is no antidote or reversal strategy that is guaranteed to work if major bleeding on Xarelto occurs. There are proven reversal methods in case of excessive bleeding on warfarin."
http://patientblog.clotconnect.org/2012/11/02/new-blood-thinner-xarelto-fda-approved-for-dvt-and-pe-treatment/
There are people in this community and the DVT community who've weighed the risks and still choose these types of meds over warfarin. My issues with these meds for me personally are potential liver issues because I already take a medication that is very hard on the liver, so I don't think I'd be a good candidate for Pradaxa or Xarelto . But if I were, I'd consider trying them even though they don't have a reversal agent.
Like any treatment for any health issue, the more options from which to CHOOSE from , the better, even if they aren't perfect.
I agree that more choices are better. And I also think they'll figure out a way to reverse the drug.
And yes, there are liver implications that would seem to make those on certain drugs poor candidates
I do wonder whether my belief that there is a reversal agent for warfarin is a bit pie in the sky. I like it because I am active. But frankly, if I go down hard on a mountain road on my bike, or simply get hit by a car, and suffer an internal bleed, I really wonder how much good a reversal agent would actually do for me (i.e., how long it takes to get one, how fast it works, how much damage already done).
Honestly, in my life I act just as if I am taking this kind of drug already. I take one pill a night, I do not take any dietary restrictions. Only difference is I test my blood every 2 or 3 weeks and go to the clinic 4 times a year to calibrate. Although since my insurance does not currently pick up INR testing supplies (currently have a claim on this) there is also a money aspect. About $200 every 3-4 months for strips (could probably get ebay cheaper....), plus anotehr $45 for each quarterly visit.
Chris
So, I get less and less concerned about the reversal agent aspect, and more zeroed in on what makes the most sense for me and my situation. I can live with warfarin no problem at all. It's so cheap, and I don't do any strict dietary business, so it doesn't feel that burdensome. But feel more and more hopeful about new avenues opening up for us lifers. T