An international study of 2,000 adult patients with deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism will test if dabigatran, a new oral blood thinner, could be a feasible alternative to warfarin (Coumadin™). Doctors leading the study say that unlike warfarin, dabigatran, which is manufactured by German biopharmaceutical firm Boehringer Ingelheim, does not appear to be easily affected by the patient's diet or other medications.

Should this new drug prove to be effective, it could help cut the estimated 600,000 cases of pulmonary embolisms that occur annually in the United States, as well as deep vein thrombosis, which is twice as common.

More details of the study from the Medical College of Georgia.

[Image: Thrombosis Interest Group of Canada]