Update on the clinical use of the low-molecular-weight heparin, parnaparin

Review

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Authors: Giuseppe Camporese, Enrico Bernardi, Franco Noventa

Published Date September 2009 Volume 2009:5 Pages 819 - 831

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/VHRM.S3430

Giuseppe Camporese¹, Enrico Bernardi², Franco Noventa³

¹Unit of Angiology and ³Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Clinical Epidemiology Group, University Hospital of Padua, Italy; ²Department of Emergency and Accident Medicine, Hospital of Conegliano Veneto, Italy

Abstract: Parnaparin is a low-molecular-weight heparin that has widely shown its efficacy and safety in prevention of venous thromboembolism, in the treatment of chronic venous disorders, and in the treatment of venous and arterial (stable and unstable angina, acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction) thrombosis. Parnaparin at the respective dosages of 3200, 4250, 6400, or 12800 IUaXa for a period ranging from 3 to 5 days to 6 months, is usually administered subcutaneously by means of once-daily regimen and is better tolerated than unfractionated heparin at the injection site. In the variety of commercially available low-molecular-weight heparins, parnaparin represents a useful therapeutic option, even though little evidence is available comparing the superiority or the equivalent efficacy and safety of parnaparin to that of the unfractionated heparin or placebo. This review summarizes the available literature on the use of parnaparin in different settings of cardiovascular diseases, including papers published during the past year and ongoing studies.

Keywords: low-molecular-weight heparin, heparin, parnaparin, acute coronary syndromes, venous thromboembolism