If this is not your name, click here.
| | If this is not your name, click here. | | |
| | Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague | | |
| |  Two New Dosage Strengths for Coumadin Introduced WILMINGTON, Del., Feb. 11, 1997 -- The DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Company announced today that it has introduced two new dosage strengths of its oral anticoagulant, Coumadin(R) (Warfarin Sodium Tablets, USP) Crystalline -- the fifth most frequently prescribed cardiovascular drug in the United States. The two new strengths, a 3-mg and a 6-mg tablet, will be available in bottles of 100 or 1000 tablets, and boxes of 100 unit dose tablets. The addition of 3- and 6-mg tablets offers more precise dosing, which is essential for Narrow Therapeutic Index (NTI) drugs such as Coumadin(R). NTI drugs are characterized by a narrow margin between patient benefit and patient risk. Small yet significant changes in dose may lead to substantial changes in therapeutic effect. Coumadin(R) therapy must be carefully monitored and reviewed by clinicians to minimize the possibility of bleeding, the most common adverse event and the most serious risk of oral anticoagulation treatment. With the addition of the new dosage strengths, Coumadin(R) is now available in 1-mg increments in the 1- to 6- mg range, enabling treatment regimens to be titrated more carefully. "Our years of experience with this product are evidenced by its quality -- we continue to exceed USP standards for tablet to tablet consistency; our understanding of the complex nature of anticoagulation therapy; and our ability to support our customer's needs," explains Nicholas L. Teti, President of U.S. Pharmaceuticals. "We recently introduced CoumaCare(SM), a unique program designed to help health care providers manage patients on Coumadin(R) more efficiently." The 3- and 6-mg tablets may be particularly suited to the needs of older patients, as the dose required for the desired anticoagulation effect declines with age. Coumadin(R) is contraindicated in situations such as: where the risk of hemorrhage is greater than the potential clinical benefit of therapy, pregnancy, alcoholism, and unsupervised dementia/psychosis. Coumadin(R) is a product of the DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Company, marketed under the DuPont Pharma name. DuPont Merck is a worldwide, research-based pharmaceutical company. Formed in 1991 as a partnership between DuPont (NYSE: DD) and Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK), DuPont Merck is focused on research, development and delivery of pharmaceuticals to treat unmet medical needs in the fight against cardiovascular, central nervous system and inflammatory diseases, cancer and AIDS. The company is also a leader in radiopharmaceuticals.
|
