Boehringer Ingelheim stroke prevention study results announced

Boehringer Ingelhem has announced that the latest results of a study have been presented.

The long-term data for Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate) and its prevention of thromboembolic events in patients with persistent, recurrent and chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) was shown at the 80th American Heart Association annual meeting.

It is hoped that the research will contribute towards the company’s Re-ly study.

Named Petro, the experiment saw 361 patients with AF and at least one other stroke risk from 53 centres in Denmark, Holland, the US and Sweden followed for an average of 29 months – with the maximum seeing 51 months of observation.

The studies showed that thromboembolic event rates were low with dabigatran etexilate doses of 150 and 300 mg twice daily, with major bleeding more frequent in the 300 mg dose.

Co-Principal Investigator of the Re-ly study, Dr Michael Ezekowitz from Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, USA also participated in the Petro study.

He said: “An oral therapy with a reliable and predictable anticoagulant effect without the need for coagulation monitoring and without any long-term safety concerns will be a major advance in stroke prevention and we look forward to the results of Re-ly.”