Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

ATryn vs oral anticoagulants:

[Reposted from the GTCB ymb with minor edits.]

Re: Coumadin replacement?
by: DewDiligence
02/20/06 11:05 pm
Msg: 27365 of 27779

>Anti-thrombin drugs work in various ways, be it aspirin, heparin, coumadin, Plavix, or ATryn.<

You’re mixing up two distinct classes of drugs. Heparin and Coumadin (warfarin) are anticoagulant drugs, as is ATryn. Plavix and aspirin are antiplatelet drugs. Anticoagulant drugs and antiplatelet drugs work on two different components of the blood-clotting mechanism, and hence drugs in one class are not directly substitutable for drugs in the other class.

In answer to your specific questions, ATryn is not beneficial to someone who has a normal level of circulating antithrombin. Moreover, as an injectable—and presumably expensive—protein drug, ATryn is intended to be used as an acute treatment for a patient with either hereditary or acquired antithrombin deficiency. ATryn is not intended to be a practical substitute for a cheap anticoagulant pill such as Coumadin for someone who needs anticoagulation on a chronic basis.

[Posted as a reply to: Msg 27353 by croumagnon]
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