New Drug Mechanisms:In this series we draw attention to medicines that have entered the European market with an entirely new mechanism of action. Publication is not to be confused with endorsement of use in clinical practice. Copyright the images belongs to Leiden University, but use of the images (also available at http://coo.lumc.nl/trc) is free.

摘要

Indication:Dabigatran etexilate [1,2] is registered for the prevention of thromboembolic events in patients who have received hip or knee surgery. The indication is limited, but might be extended in the future, for example to prevention of stroke and thromboembolic events in general. Recent studies have compared the effects of warfarin and dabigatran in patients with atrial fibrillation [3] and acute venous thromboembolism [4]. However these results are still under debate [5].