Recent research reveals that an experimental drug reduces the risk of stroke in patients with irregular heartbeats by at least three times, compared to the popular drug warfarin.
The new drug, dabigatran etexilate, was tested to more than 18,000 patients from different parts of the world suffering from irregular heartbeats, or atrial fibrillation.
The study that started in 2005 revealed that the commonly-used warfarin paled in comparison against dabigatran. Warfarin also produced minor side effects and complications. On the other hand dabigatran reduced the risk better to about 0.10 percent per year as compared to warfarin.
Dabigatran is being manufactured by German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim while the research will be officially presented at the European Society of Cardiology meeting in Barcelona, Spain.
Dabigatran "probably will replace warfarin," as it is easier for both doctors and patients to use,
Dr. Fausto Pinto, director of the Cardiovascular Institute at the University of Lisbon in Portugal and chairman of the European Society of Cardiology said during an interview with the
Associated Press.
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