Justin's Blog

We heard about the following recall and found the information on the FDA website. Please read and pass on to anyone who may need this information.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Initiates a Nationwide Voluntary Recall of Coumadin® 1 mg Tablet Blister Packs

-Recall Involves 1 mg Physician Sample Blister Packs and 1 mg Hospital Blister Packs Only-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — July 12, 2010 – Bristol-Myers Squibb initiates a voluntary recall of 3 lots of physician sample blister packs of Coumadin® 1 mg tablets and 5 lots, of Coumadin 1 mg tablet hospital unit dose (HUD) blister packs. The following lot numbers are included in this recall: Physician Sample Blister Packs: Lot# 9A48931A, 9A48931B, 9A48931C, expiration January 2012; HUD Blister Pack: Lot# 8F34006B, 8K44272A, 8K46168A, 9F44437A and 9K58012B with expiry dates between June 2011 and November 2012. The recall is a precautionary measure based upon the company’s determination that some of the tablets, over time, may not meet specification for isopropanol. Isopropanol is used to maintain the active ingredient, Coumadin, in the crystalline state, and could affect the therapeutic levels of the active ingredient.

Coumadin is prescribed to treat or prevent blood clots. A decrease of active ingredient may increase the risk of clots which could lead to heart attack or stroke and if there is too much active ingredient, there is an increased risk of bleeding.

The recall only involves Coumadin 1 mg tablet blister-packs distributed in the U.S. This recall does not involve Coumadin 1 mg supplied in bottles or any other strengths and dosage forms of the product. Patients who may have product from the subject lots should contact their physicians to ensure that their anticoagulation therapy is not interrupted.

Read the Full Press Release

The number one reason why you may never leave the hospital once you walk through the front door, isn’t from malpractice or doctor error, its from developing a blood clot.   The link below is about a story in Great Britain where a woman had surgery on her toe, however after leaving the hospital she developed a DVT in that leg which eventually became a Pulmonary Embolism that took her life.  Its sad, it could have been easily avoided.   Did this woman have any genetic blood disorders like Factor V that left her susceptible to blood clots?  Was she placed on lovanox or warfarin after the surgery?  Did any of her doctors educate her on the symptoms of blood clots?   Wouldn’t it make sense to do a routine blood test before any surgery to see if the person has any genetic blood disorders?   Slowly but surely we are getting the word out about clotting disorders, preventing DVT’s, and the educating people on the symptoms.  There is a lot of valuable information at www.stoptheclot.org.  

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/england/manchester/10603537.stm

As always thank you for being a clotamin customer.
Justin

Mike Williams a veteran offensive lineman for the Washington Redskins is expected to miss the upcoming season due to blood clots near his heart, according to Jason Reid of the Washington Post. Williams was expected to compete for a starting position at right guard before he was hospitalized due to blood clots.

Read Full Article

A lot of us take vacations in the summer,  which can mean long flights or hours crammed in the car.  The link below is to a good article on measures we can take to help avoid a blood clot while traveling.   I hope you all had a nice July 4th weekend, as always thank you for being a Clotamin customer.

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20107080310

I saw last month that NASCAR driver Brain Vickers was hospitalized with a pulmonary embolism, I wonder if it was from sitting cramped in a car for so many hours or if he has any genetic predispositions like Factor V.   Not sure if you can drive a race car on warfarin seems like the risk of a crash and bleeding is to high.  My Hematologist treats several NBA players who are on blood thinners and they just go off them the day of games,  hopefully Vickers can do the same thing.  I hope gets better and back on the track soon.  You can read more about the story no the following link.

http://jacksonville.com/node/418501

I am a big fan of the tv show The Deadliest Catch.  In last nights episode they revealed that Captain Phil Harris died of a stroke.   Last season he was hospitalized with blood clots and placed on blood thinners, not sure if it was warfarin or plavix, but that coupled with the stress, long hours sitting, and constant smoking I am sure lead to the clot that traveled to his brain and eventually killed him.   Its amaznig how many peoples lives are effected by blood clots yet there seems to be so little information out there about them.  Check out the link below for more info:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2010/06/jake-harris-deadliest-catch-phil-harris-pain-pills-addict.html

Vitamin B6 Linked to Lower Lung Cancer Risk:

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=117237

As always thank you for being a Clotamin customer

Justin

Clotamin hosted a great event this past Saturday to raise money for the Washington DC chapter of the National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA).   A big thank you to everyone that came out, the proceeds of the event are going to be used to host a Stop the Clot forum in Washington DC sometime this summer.   NCBA’s mission is to prevent, diagnose and treat thrombosis and thrombophilia through research, education, support and advocacy.  I myself have factor V (will be on warfarin for life) and as you know I had a pulmonary embolism in 2006,  nearly 300.000 people die each year from PE’s,  many of these deaths are preventable.   Our goal is to help NBCA educate as many people as possible about the risks of blood clots.

As always thank you for being a Clotamin customer.
Justin

Pharmacist eLink

Over 30 million prescriptions are written each year in the United States for Warfarin, an anticoagulant also known under many brand names including Coumadin™. Some pharmacists have been reluctant from recommending over-the-counter vitamin supplements to patients on blood thinners because of possible interactions with Warfarin therapy. To address this need, Global Nutritional Research (GNR) has developed Clotamin™, a multivitamin specifically designed for patients on blood thinners.

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Saturday, February 07, 2009 | by Patrick Dunne (Gazette)

“After brothers Mackie and Justin Barch, third-generation Kensington residents, were both diagnosed with a blood-clotting disorder and put on medication, the two went into business creating a multi-vitamin that was safe for them and others with their condition.”

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