Cheaper blood thinner is just as effective

Injections of the blood thinner heparin treat blood clots just as effectively as a top-selling version that is far more expensive, researchers said Tuesday.

To treat deep vein thrombosis, which appears most often as blood clots in the legs, injections of low-molecular weight heparin such as Sanofi-Aventis’ blockbuster Lovenox and Pfizer’s Fragmin have been increasingly seen as more convenient and effective than regular heparin.

But the study by McMaster University researchers found the original, much-cheaper heparin (costing $37 for a six-day course versus $712) was as effective.

Blood clots reappeared in less than 4% of 700 patients whether they received the original heparin or low-molecular weight heparin. The rate of major bleeding was also comparable in the two groups. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.