Both indications require Lovenox be administered in conjunction with warfarin sodium. For the first time, patients diagnosed with deep-vein thrombosis can be treated in the hospital or in their own homes. Typically, deep-vein thrombosis is treated with unfractionated heparin, which must be given to patients by continuous intravenous infusion, requiring several days of hospitalization and routine blood tests to monitor drug activity. According to a study done at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Fontana, Calif., there is a clear economic advantage associated with using Lovenox in the outpatient treatment of deep-vein thrombosis. Deep-vein thrombosis is the formation of blood clots in the veins, which may lead to pulmonary embolism.
Pulmonary embolism occurs when a clot circulates and lodges in the lungs and can cause sudden death.
Venous thromboembolic disease is responsible for more than 400,000 hospitalizations annually, according to SMG Marketing's National Patient Profile Database. Pulmonary embolism causes or contributes to as many as 200,000 deaths each year in the U.S., according to the American College of Chest Physicians. Trials Showed Safety, Efficacy The FDA approval of Lovenox for the treatment of deep-vein thrombosis was based on the results of two clinical trials that compared Lovenox with unfractionated heparin. Patients with known hypersensitivity to heparin or pork products should not be treated with Lovenox. Lovenox should be used with extreme caution in patients with a history of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.