According to a recent analysis of U.S. administrative data, patients that have nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) who are being treated with Dabigatran are more persistent when it comes to taking their medication than patients who are being treated with Warfarin. The results of this analysis have been published online in the August 6, 2013 edition of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
In this study, researchers discovered that 63 percent of AF patients taking Dabigatran were still taking the drug when the follow-up study was conducted after a year. This is in comparison to the 39 percent of Warfarin users who were still taking their medication.
“In this retrospective study of newly-diagnosed nonvalvular AF patients initiating treatment with Dabigatran vs. Warfarin using a large claims database, we found consistently higher persistence with therapy in those treated with Dabigatran at six, nine and 12 months,” writes lead author Dr. Martin Zalesak (Trinity Partners, Waltham, Mass.) and colleagues. “As in previous studies of oral anticoagulant therapy, we found persistence to increase with increasing patient’s age and stroke risk and persistence to decrease with increasing risk of hemorrhage.”
For the study, the persistence was measured by the length of time from the start of a patient’s treatment through to when the patient stopped taking the drugs. Researchers looked at whether a patient skipped a treatment or failed to refill the prescription. If the patient didn’t refill the prescription within six months, it was assumed that he or she had stopped treatment. This was also the case if the patient switched to a different type of therapy.
AF is a condition that is characterized by patients suffering from fluttering and irregular heartbeats. The condition is treated with various prescription medications including anticoagulants. One of those drugs was Multaq. Multaq is made by Sanofi-Aventis and has been linked to serious side effects, including a worsening of the heart condition, liver failure and lung toxicity. It is for this reason that the FDA has recommended that doctors only prescribe Multaq if all other medications fail to work.
If you or a loved one has suffered from liver failure or a worsening heart condition after being treated with Multaq, contact the attorneys at Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting Multaq lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your injuries.