By Chioma Obinna

Worried about diagnosis of thrombosis among Nigerian patient only after their deaths, a multinational pharmaceutical company, Sanofi last week introduced New Clexane, a brand of enoxaparin sodium, 20mg, 60 mg and 80mg Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) into the Nigerian market, for the treatment of Venous Thromboembolism (VTE).

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Clexane dosing, treatment cost and VTE management is more convenient in patients with cases of severe renal impairment, underweight, obesity, being treated with DVT/Pulmonary Embolism (PE) and high risk gyneacological surgery patients.

Presenting the products during the formal launch of the product in Lagos, the General Manager and Country Chairman, Sanofi Nigeria-Ghana, Ms Folake Odediran said there was need to tackle VTE because of its high socioeconomic burden and morbidity rate.

According to her, VTE has its socioeconomic burden as patients would need to spend more days in the hospital resulting in extra treatment cost and reduction in the hospital bed space available for other patients.

Venous Thromboembolism, VTE, is blood clots that occur as Deep Vein Thrombosis pulmonary embolism or both.

She explained that the launch of Clexane doses of 20mg, 60mg and 80mg into the market was to address the unmet medical needs to the treatment and prevention of thrombosis.

“Some of the insights into unmet medical needs based on our interactions with stakeholders in the market of VTE include cost, dose optimisation in weight-based VTE management and in special populations.”

She pledged the company’s commitment to collaborating with other stakeholders to provide innovative therapeutic options to improve outcomes in VTE management.

On his part, a Professor of Haematology, School of Medicine, University of Benin, UNIBEN, Prof. Omolade Awodu said one in four deaths is related to blood clots.

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According to her, VTE is also the number one cause of preventable deaths in hospitals.

“The prevalence is increasing in Nigeria and the burden in medically ill patients also increases. Acutely ill medical patients are the most vulnerable,” she said.

He tasked health care practitioners on the need to identify the risk factors to prevent death as most VTE cases are fatal even before diagnosis.

Vanguard