Lovenox for People with Valves

[Guest]

This is all that I know so far -- The FDA has approved a revision of its instructions on the use of Lovenox for people with mechanical heart valves. What it will say and when it will become official, I do not know yet.

At least it looks like those of us who kept battling on this issue finally won.

 

[LUVMyBirman]

Thank you for the informaiton AL.

When the FDA revises the guidlines....... do you feel most MD's accept this ruling? My cardioligist told me to forget about Lovenox After the initial ruling. Have used it with great success many many times. Looking forward to having this option open again.

Please keep us posted!

 

[Guest]

Most doctors will follow the guidelines. That is why they stopped using it. They were afraid of a lawsuit if the FDA said no and they went ahead. Nothing has really changed. It was OK for people with valves all along. The FDA is just admitting that they made a mistake.

 

[Nancy]

Al-

Do you have any clue as to why they had that "knee jerk" reaction in the first place? The two cases that caused all the furor seem far removed clinically from most valve patients.

If I remember the story, it was two women in Africa who were pregnant and had mechanical valves, and developed blood clots while on Lovenox.

Do you think it was because it was a blood clot incident and not a bleeding incident which might have been expected? Or is there a whole lot more to the story than meets the eye? I know you have been following this very carefully.

 

[Guest]

I have never heard why they made the decision. I guess it was one of those bureaucratic things where each person who looked at the paper felt a need to add something. Sort of like how did a rumor from Africa make it into the President's State of The Union Address. Or to go back a few years and illustrate that neither political party has a monopoly on this - the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. It didn't happen either but led us into the Viet Nam war. A poorly designed study half a world away causes all this agonizing for people with valves-?????