Sanofi, a multinational pharmaceutical company, on Wednesday in Lagos introduced “New Clexane”, a brand of Enoxaparin sodium, 20mg, 60 mg and 80mg Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) into the Nigerian market for the treatment of Venous Thromboembolism (VTE).
Clexane dosing, treatment cost and VTE management is more convenient in patients with cases of severe renal impairment, underweight, obesity, being treated with DVT/Pulmonary Embolism (PE) and high risk gyneacological surgery patients.
Speaking at the launch which also held simultaneously in six cities in the country, Ms Folake Odediran, the General Manager and Country Chairman, Sanofi Nigeria-Ghana, said there was need to tackle VTE because of its high socioeconomic burden and morbidity rate.
“VTE has its socioeconomic burden as patients will need to spend more days in the hospital resulting in extra treatment cost and reduction in hospital bed space available for other patients.
“Venous Thromboembolism ( VTE ) is blood clots occurring as Deep Vein Thrombosis pulmonary embolism or both.
“This launch of Clexane doses of 20mg, 60mg and 80mg into the market is to address the unmet medical needs to the treatment and prevention of thrombosis.
“Some of the insights into unmet medical needs based on our interactions with stakeholders in the market of VTE include cost, dose optimisation in weight-based VTE management and in special populations,” she said.
Odediran restated Sanofi’s commitment to collaborating with healthcare stakeholders and providing innovative therapeutic options to improve outcomes in VTE management.
Dr Omolade Awodu, a Professor and Consultant Haematologist, School of Medicine, University of Benin ( UNIBEN), said that one in four deaths are from causes related to blood clots.
According to her, VTE is also the number one cause of preventable deaths in hospitals.
“The prevalence is increasing in Nigeria and the burden in medically ill patients also increases.
“Acutely ill medical patients are the most vulnerable,” she said.
Awodu urged healthcare practitioners and also patients on the need to identify the risk factors to prevent fatality, especially as most VTE cases became fatal even before they had been diagnosed.
