New Drug Gets High Marks Against Clots
Medication could help counteract inactivity forced by a stroke

(HealthDay News) -- A new form of a popular blood-thinner appears to be better at preventing life-threatening clots than the older version of the drug.

The incidence of clots in the lungs and legs of people who had a stroke and were given the newly engineered version of heparin, called enoxaparin, was almost half that of those who were given ordinary heparin, researchers said.

"This is the first big trial in which the two treatments have gone head to head," lead researcher Dr. David G. Sherman, chief of the Division of Neurology at the University of Texas Health Science Center, told HealthDay . "Enoxaparin pretty convincingly appears to work better."

The study was funded by Sanofi-Aventis, the maker of enoxaparin (Lovenox).

People who have strokes have a high risk of developing clots, because they are forced to be inactive. In fact, the 1,762 stroke patients who participated in the study received anticoagulant treatment, because they were unable to walk.

Half of the participants were given one injection of enoxaparin a day; the other half received two daily injections of heparin. They then were monitored for the presence of blood clots in the legs and lungs.

The study included only people who'd had an ischemic stroke, the most common kind. In this type of attack, a blood clot blocks a brain artery. However, Sherman said, there are indications that the results would also apply to people who have hemorrhagic strokes, in which a blood vessel bursts.

Cost remains a potential issue, however, because enoxaparin is much more expensive than ordinary heparin. Sherman 's group is working on an analysis of the economic impact of using enoxaparin rather than heparin on the total cost of treating strokes.

Although the medications help those who've had a stroke, and other drugs can sometimes stop strokes in progress, reducing disability and saving lives, the drugs must be given quickly after symptoms first appear.

The American Heart Association emphasizes the need to call 9-1-1 immediately if any of the following symptoms occur:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
• Sudden confusion or trouble speaking.
• Sudden difficulty seeing in one or both eyes.
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause.

Not all signs occur in every stroke, and sometimes they go away and return.

According to the American Stroke Association, stroke shares a host of risk factors with coronary heart disease -- many of which can be controlled to reduce risk. They include high LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, low HDL (good) cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, physical inactivity and being overweight or obese.

On the Web

Learn more about stroke prevention and treatment by visiting the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

SOURCES: David G. Sherman, M.D., professor of medicine and neurology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas; April 21, 2007, The Lancet ; American Heart Association (www.americanheart.org); American Stroke Association (www.strokeassociation.org)
Author: Anne Thompson
Publication date: April 30, 2008
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