Drug Aids Patients with Heparin Intolerance

According to a new study, an anticoagulant drug can serve as a substitute for heparin in patients with heparin intolerance, improving clinical outcomes, compared to historical control subjects, without increasing bleeding risk. The study, conducted by researchers from Loyola University Medical Center (Maywood, IL, USA), was published in the April 2001 issue of Circulation.

Allergic reactions to heparin can lead to the formation of blood clots rather than prevention of blood clots, resulting in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). The drug, called argatroban, reduced the risk of blood clots by as much as 50% in HIT patients. The study involved 120 medical centers, with patients ranging in age from 18-80. The drug has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The researchers say the drug has demonstrated a positive effect on the lining of blood vessels, which can be protective in cardiovascular patients and is not a quality found in heparin.

"What makes argatroban so attractive is that it is well tolerated by most patients who take it and it does not lose effectiveness with use because the drug does not stimulate production of antibodies in the patient,” said Dr. Bruce Lewis, associate professor of medicine at the Loyola University Strich School of Medicine and principal investigator in the study. "These antibodies are what cause some patients to develop a potentially dangerous intolerance to heparin.”




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Loyola Univ. Medical Center