Pradaxa is an anticoagulant that acts by inhibiting thrombin, an enzyme in the blood that is involved in blood clotting.
A clinical trial comparing with the anticoagulant warfarin was designed to study the safety and efficacy of Pradaxa.
Reportedly, results from the study showed that patients taking Pradaxa had fewer strokes than those who took warfarin.
FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Division of Cardiovascular and Renal Products director Norman Stockbridge said that unlike warfarin, which requires patients to undergo periodic monitoring with blood tests, such monitoring is not necessary for Pradaxa.