Sanofi-Aventis study confirms long-term Clexane benefits

Sanofi-Aventis has announced the findings of its ExTract-TIMI 25 and Steeple studies that have confirmed the clinical benefit of Clexane (enoxaparin) in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) when compared to administration with unfractioned heparin.

These results have been presented to the congress of the European Society of Cardiology in Vienna.

In the ExTract-TIMI 25 study, the primary endpoint of death or non-fatal myocardial infarction was in favour of enoxaparin, with net clinical benefit through a year of follow-up also in favour of the compound.

Dr Elliott Antman, senior investigator of the TIMI study group, noted that the study was a large one that presented conclusive results at 30 days of treatment.

“The persistence of significant net clinical benefit a full year after treatment is further evidence of the viability of the strategy of using enoxaparin as adjunctive anticoagulant therapy to fibrinolysis in the STEMI patient population,”

Furthermore, the Steeple trial results showed the administration of enoxaparin in percutaneous coronary intervention patients resulting in a reduction in major bleeding with a similar efficacy to the dispensation of unfractioned heparin.

In April 2007, Sanofi-Aventis reported clinical trial results suggesting a 40 mg dose of Cleaxane is more affective than unfractioned heparin as a treatment for the prevention of venous thromboembolism in acute ischemic stroke patients.