MONDAY, March 8, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- An experimental anticoagulant shows promise in treating people with coronary artery disease.
The strong results, from two Phase II clinical studies, will be presented March 9 at the American College of Cardiology's annual scientific sessions in New Orleans.
The anticoagulant, called DX-9065a, prevents the formation of blood clots earlier in the coagulation process than other anticoagulants. It does this by inhibiting the action of Factor Xa, an important player in the formation of a blood clot.
In the first Phase II study, Duke University Medical Center cardiologists demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of DX-9065a in stable heart patients undergoing angioplasty. The second and larger Phase II trial was conducted on high-risk heart patients.
"Patients who received high-dose DX-9065a tended to have a reduction in death, heart attack or the need for urgent revascularization procedure," Duke cardiologist Dr. John Alexander says in a prepared statement.
"Both low and high does of DX-9065a also tended to result in fewer bleeding episodes than the standard therapy of unfractionated heparin. We believe that the DX-9065a results to date set the stage for larger Phase III trials for patients with acute coronary syndrome or undergoing angioplasty," Alexander says.
More information
The U.S. National Women's Health Information Center has more about coronary artery disease.
