Renal function, P-gp-affecting drugs and new anticoagulants for stroke prevention

New oral anticoagulants (NOAs), like the thrombin-inhibitor dabigatran etexilate or the factor Xa-inhibitor rivaroxaban showed similar efficacy as the vitamin-K-antagonist (VKA) warfarin for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) . One of the advantages of the NOAs, compared with VKAs, should be the lack of the necessity for laboratory monitoring and its lower rate of drug- and food interactions. The serum concentration of NOAs, however, is influenced by renal function. Furthermore, NOA-absorption is dependent on the intestinal P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-system, and P-gp activity is influenced by several drugs . Since the prevalence of renal failure and the rate of patients taking P-gp-affecting drugs in AF are largely unknown, we performed a cross-sectional study to assess renal function and prescription-frequency of P-gp-affecting drugs, as searched from the literature in hospitalized AF-patients.
Source: International Journal of Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research