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THURSDAY, July 17, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- The blood-thinning drug fondaparinux (Arixta) nearly halves the risk of potentially deadly deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in people hospitalized with congestive heart failure, chronic respiratory disease and other conditions that increase the risk of these conditions, claims a new study.
People treated with the drug were 47 percent less likely to suffer venous thromboembolism -- a condition involving clotting or obstruction of a vein that includes both deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism -- than people who received a placebo, according to the study results. In the group taking fondaparinux, 5.6 percent had venus thromboembolism events, compared with 10.5 percent of the people in the placebo group.
The study also found that the drug reduced fatal pulmonary embolisms and showed a trend toward reducing overall death -- 3.3 percent in the study group compared with 6 percent in the placebo group. The incidence of bleeding in both groups was 0.2 percent.
The study included 839 people hospitalized in 35 centers in eight countries. The patients were 60 years of age or older and had been hospitalized for congestive heart failure, acute respiratory illness in the presence of chronic lung disease, acute infections or inflammatory disease.
They received either the drug or a placebo once a day for six to 14 days.
Results of the study were presented July 17 at the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, meeting in Birmingham, England.
More information
Here's where you can learn more about deep vein thrombosis.
