RIDGEFIELD, Conn. — Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. plans to roll out its new Pradaxa oral anticoagulant to U.S. pharmacies this week.
The company said Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate mesylate) 150-mg capsules will be available starting Wednesday by prescription in chain pharmacies such as CVS, Rite Aid, Walmart, Target, Kmart and Kroger Co. as well as at Health Mart, Good Neighbor Pharmacy and Medicine Shoppe franchise pharmacies.
Plans call for the 75-mg dose of Pradaxa to be shipped to pharmacies in the coming weeks, according to Boehringer Ingelheim.
The Food and Drug Administration approved Pradaxa last month as a medication to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, Boehringer Ingelheim said.
Atrial fibrillation, characterized by an irregular heartbeat, can cause blood clots to form in the heart that can travel to the brain and cause a stroke. An estimated 2.3 million Americans are living with the condition, and it prevalence is expected to surge to 5.6 million by 2050, the pharmaceutical company reported. A large managed care database study showed that nonvalvular atrial fibrillation represents about 95% of all U.S. atrial fibrillation cases. Also, atrial fibrillation increases the risk of stroke nearly five times and is associated with up to 15% of all strokes in the United States.
