The Irish Heart Foundation has welcomed findings from a pharmaceutical trial that showed a reduction in stroke risk for patients with atrial fibrillation.
Data from the RE-LY study was announced this week. Results show that the oral direct thrombin inhibitor, dabigatran etexilate, significantly reduces the risk of stroke and systemic embolism by 34 per cent in patients with atrial fibrillation compared to well-controlled warfarin without increasing the risk of major bleeding.
Dr Brian Maurer, Medical Director of the Irish Heart Foundation said: “The Irish Heart Foundation welcomes the latest findings. Atrial fibrillation is the most commonly sustained cardiac arrhythmia which has an increasing prevalence as people get older and which can lead to stroke. I look forward to the availability of a drug which can reduce the risk of bleeding in treating AF patients, following approval by the Irish Medicines Board.”
Dr Peter Crean, a cardiologist at St James’s Hospital, Dublin, said: “We now have an oral treatment which offers superior protection from stroke with less bleeding and without the need for regular blood monitoring which is a significant burden to patients, GPs and hospitals.”
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