Real-World Study Showed Cost Savings for VTE Prophylaxis with Enoxaparin Compared with Unfractionated Hep...( BRIDGEWATER N.J. Au...),Health

BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Aug. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sanofi-aventis U.S. (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) announced today results of a retrospective real-world cohort study comparing the total direct medical costs of Lovenox(R) (enoxaparin sodium injection) or unfractionated heparin (UFH) for the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) among at-risk hospitalized medical and surgical patients in the U.S. The study demonstrated VTE prophylaxis with enoxaparin was a cost-saving therapy with a statistically significant average reduction of $1,080 per discharge compared to prophylaxis with UFH. These findings were recently published online in the Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis.

"The data are encouraging because they provided insights into the costs of VTE in a large population and assessed overall direct medical costs in the hospital from drug acquisition costs through to, and including hospitalization costs," said Geno Merli, M.D., Director at the Jefferson Center for Vascular Disease, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, PA, and lead investigator of the study. "Evidence from this study found that prevention of VTE among inpatients, using enoxaparin for prophylaxis, was an effective preventative strategy. These data may be utilized to help guide healthcare professionals toward potentially reducing high healthcare costs in the U.S. associated with this often preventable condition."

VTE encompasses both deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) which poses a significant clinical and economic burden. Each year, the management costs for dealing with VTE are estimated to be approximately $1.5 billion.(1) These costs occur despite VTE being a largely preventable disease. Failure to prevent an initial VTE episode may result in both healthca
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