Setting record straight on Pradaxa

I write in response to the article "Blood-thinning drug’s guidelines may be flawed" (Irish Examiner, July 23).

Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) wants to set the record straight following misleading statements that the British Medical Journal (BMJ) published today regarding Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate mesylate), as we are concerned that the reporting might put patients at risk of stopping their important stroke-preventing medication.

On May 13, 2014, in one of the largest real-world analyses of its kind, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) reaffirmed Pradaxa’s positive efficacy-safety profile when it issued results from this study in clinical practice. This included more than 134,000 patients, who were 65 years or older and were not monitored.