OTHER NEWS - April 15, 1993
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
FDA Approves Blood Clot Drug: The Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug that can prevent potentially fatal blood clots after hip replacement surgery. The drug, enoxaparin, can prevent pulmonary embolisms. It is the first low-molecular-weight heparin and will be sold by Rhone-Poulene Rorer Inc. under the brand name Lovenox. The agency cleared the drug after a priority review. The manufacturer said a clinical trial indicated that the drug could save 16 lives per 1,000 patients treated. Surgeons perform nearly 250,000 hip replacements in elderly patients each year. The company said the average wholesale price for a seven-day course of treatment is $161. The drug first went on the market in Europe six years ago.
