Free Republic

the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate) oral pellets to treat children 3 months to less than 12 years old with venous thromboembolism (a condition where blood clots form in the veins) directly after they have been treated with a blood thinner given by injection for at least five days. The FDA also approved Pradaxa oral pellets to prevent recurrent clots among patients 3 months to less than 12 years old who completed treatment for their first venous thromboembolism. “The FDA is committed to helping our youngest patients with serious medical conditions have treatments that are relatively...

A PILL costing less than £3 a day is being hailed as the biggest breakthrough in stroke prevention in 50 years. The drug, which slashes the risk of suffering a stroke by over a third, will help more than a million Britons. Pradaxa is now available for use in the UK. In trials it was found to significantly reduce the risk of a stroke in patients with an irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation. This is one of the main causes of strokes. The drug, taken twice a day at a cost of £2.52, already prevents thousands of deaths each...