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The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug that can reduce the risk of strokes for patients with irregular heartbeats.
Pradaxa will be available for patients that suffer from atrial fibrillation, a heart problem in which the heart’s chambers do not properly contract.
The previous treatment for atrial fibrillation was the drug Warfarin, which has side effects that include internal bleeding.
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The FDA approved Pradaxa after a study comparing the two drugs showed that patients taking the newer pill had fewer strokes.
German drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim produces the drug, which works by stopping an enzyme that is involved in blood clotting.
Copyright Press Association 2010
