- Prescribing Advice for GPs - https://www.prescriber.org.uk -

Exanta withdrawn

Ximelagatran (Exanta)® has been withdrawn globally following reports of serious liver injury in the EXTEND clinical trial. A press release from the manufacturers gives further detail.

Ximelagatran has not been made available in the UK although it is available in the United States and several other European countries. There has been a lot of interest in this drug as it was seen as a replacement to warfarin. However, several studies have indicated that chronic use of this drug can lead to liver damage and the EXTEND study has added to these concerns.

Action: The withdrawal of ximelagatran will not affect any patients in the United Kingdom but clinicians may wish to be aware of this development.