Consumer Group: FDA Should Stop Review Of Blood Thinner

A consumer group is requesting that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stop the review of an Eli Blood thinning drug called prasugrel.

According to Public Citizen, the recommended dosage instructions for the drug are far too high, a fact that puts patients who receive it at increased risk of internal bleeding.

In a letter addressed to FDA Chief Margaret Hamburg the group urges for the termination of the review, so that a new trial can be conducted of the drug in a lower dose.

The letter cited a 13,000 patient study that showed that patients given prasugrel, were at increased risk of internal bleeding.

Currently, the leading drug when it comes to blood thinners, is plavix, which is manufactured by both Sanofi-Aventi and Bristol-Myers.

The FDA have been reviewing prasugrel for possible approval since January of 2008, and the drug has already been approved for use in Europe.