In September, the drug Pradaxa, also known as dabigatran, was approved for use in NHS Scotland to help prevent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Costing around £900 a year per patient, the price of this new treatment far exceeds the cost of only £10 a year per patient for the current warfarin treatment.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) has issued a “consensus statement” spelling out which NHS patients should be considered for treatment with the new drug.

HIS point out that most people do well on warfarin and should continue to have it prescribed, only those patients with AF who cannot tolerate warfarin or have poor blood-clotting ability should be considered for treatment with Pradaxa.

Source:   The Scotsman