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Thank you for your interest in republishing this story. Patients taking these drugs don’t need regular blood tests and don’t have to avoid certain foods.īut unlike Coumadin, the effects of which can be reversed with vitamin K, there’s currently no antidote if patients taking the newer drugs begin bleeding uncontrollably. Newer anticoagulants such as Eliquis, Pradaxa and Xarelto have entered the market in recent years and, in some ways, are easier to use than Coumadin. The tool, developed with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, is designed to help determine whether nursing homes are taking adequate steps to prevent mistakes and whether they respond appropriately if they occur.Ībout 1 in 6 of the nation’s 1.3 million nursing home residents take an anticoagulant, according to federal data from earlier this year the majority are believed to be on Coumadin or its generic. In a July 17 memo, CMS – the federal agency that regulates nursing homes – also told state health departments that inspect nursing homes on its behalf about a new tool for identifying and reducing medication errors. Separately, days after the ProPublica report was published, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services asked health inspectors nationwide to be on the lookout for errors by nursing homes in managing Coumadin. Asked for comment Tuesday, an FDA spokeswoman said in an email that the agency will respond directly to the committee. 16, “given the public health interests” in assuring the drug’s safety. The committee has asked for a reply by Sept. The legislators ask what steps, if any, FDA is taking to address the drug’s safety, including any changes to its label. The letter also asks whether the FDA has conducted any safety activities or analyses related to Coumadin in recent years. Stephen Ostroff, to provide summaries of adverse events associated with Coumadin since 2010, as well as whether the number of such events is increasing. In their letter, the lawmakers ask FDA’s acting commissioner, Dr. Last year, the Department of Health and Human Services identified Coumadin and other anticoagulants as a category of drugs frequently implicated in “adverse drug events” and called on government agencies to work on solutions.
A 2007 study in The American Journal of Medicine estimated that nursing home residents suffer 34,000 fatal, life-threatening or serious events each year related to the drug. The ProPublica article noted that Coumadin can be a lifesaver when taken as directed and carefully monitored. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., chairman of the subcommittee on oversight and investigations, and Diana DeGette, D-Colo., the subcommittee’s ranking member. The letter was signed by committee chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., and ranking member Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., as well as Rep. “While the committee recognizes that FDA has no role in overseeing the safety and health requirements for nursing homes, or the practice of medicine, the problems identified in the ProPublica report have prompted the committee to consider where there are any further actions FDA could take to decrease the incidence and severity of adverse events related to the use of Coumadin and/or warfarin,” the letter said. Inspectors are being asked to pay greater attention following analysis showing mistakes resulting in injuries and deaths. Feds Call for More Scrutiny of Nursing Home Errors Involving Blood Thinner Nursing homes are “a perfect setup for bad things happening,” one expert says. Too much can cause bleeding too little, clots.
Some facilities fail to properly oversee Coumadin.
Popular Blood Thinner Causing Deaths, Injuries at Nursing Homes