Freek Verheugt, M.D., told this newspaper OASIS-5's impact will vary locally depending on the price of fondaparinux. “In Holland, where fondaparinux was developed, it's so expensive the orthopedic surgeons don't use it at all,” said Dr. Verheugt, professor and chairman of cardiology at University Medical Center, Nijmegen (Netherlands).
For him, the most important thing about OASIS-5 is that it showed that factor Xa inhibition is very safe, a finding he considers extremely reassuring. There are half a dozen or more selective oral Xa inhibitors in the developmental pipeline. They will be far cheaper than injectable anticoagulants, and it will be possible to use them for months rather than days.