The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7231 p45
11 January 2003

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American Society of Hematology (www.hematology.org)

Ximelagatran reduces VTE risk

Ximelagatran (Exanta), a direct thrombin inhibitor, reduces the risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) by 84 per cent over 18 months compared with placebo, new data show.

At the 44th meeting of the American Society of Hematology, held in Philadelphia last month, researchers revealed the benefit of treatment with ximelagatran over an extended period and the prolonged risk of recurrence of VTE seen in patients given placebo.

In the thrombin inhibitor in venous embolism (THRIVE III) study, 1,233 patients who had been treated for six months with warfarin after suffering an initial VTE were randomised to receive either ximelagatran or placebo for 18 months. The researchers found that 12 of the 612 patients treated with ximelagatran 24mg twice daily suffered a further VTE by the end of the study, compared with 71 of the 611 patients in the placebo group — a relative risk reduction with ximelagatran of 84 per cent (P<0.0001).

Ximelagatran was also found to be associated with a similar incidence of major and minor bleeding to that with placebo (estimated cumulative risk 23.9 per cent vs 21 per cent, P=0.1703), suggesting that the new antithrombotic is free from the increased risk of bleeding seen with prolonged use of anticoagulants currently used in clinical practice.