Sanofi-aventis reports ‘superiority’ of Clexane in Prevail trial

Sanofi-aventis has announced the publication of the results of the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with acute ischemic stroke with low molecular weight heparin primer (LMWH) enoxaparin (Prevail) trial.

The company reported that administration with a 40 mg dose of Clexane (enoxaparin sodium injection) was more effective than treatment with unfractionated heparin as a treatment to prevent VTE in acute ischemic stroke patients.

Sanofi-aventis notes that stroke patients are typically at an increased risk of developing VTE, with 75 per cent of patients with haemiplegia following a stroke developing deep vein thrombosis and 20 per cent developing a pulmonary embolism.

The Prevail trial showed that these patients administered with Clexane exhibited a 43 per cent reduction in VTE events compared to those receiving unfractionated heparin.

Enoxaparin is a LMWH-class anticoagulant with clinical applications relating to its anti-thrombotic properties, with the drug used to hinder the formation of clots in venous and arterial vessels to prevent conditions including myocardial infarction and pulmonary embolism.

The authors of the Prevail study report said: “Enoxaparin is preferable to unfractionated heparin for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in this high-risk medically ill patient in view of its better clinical benefits to risk ratio and convenience of once daily administration.”

In September 2006, Sanofi-aventis presented clinical data showing a reduction of risk of heart attack and stroke in patients enduring percutaneous coronary intervention following the administration enoxaparin.