We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Health

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is Argatroban®?

By Andy Josiah
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 4,936
Share

Argatroban® is a medication used to treat people with thrombosis, which involves the formation of blood clots. The medication is described as an anticoagulant, which means that it stops blood from clotting. It is also used for prophylaxis, thus making it a medical procedure for preventing a disease or medical condition rather than treating or curing it.

Argatroban® is a direct thrombin inhibitor. This is a class of anticoagulant that works by suppressing the enzyme thrombin, which plays an active role in blood clotting. It is specifically designed for people suffering from heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), a disease that involves the presence of relatively few platelets in the blood, which triggers thrombosis.

This particular HIT medication is manufactured as a white, odorless crystalline powder. It is prepared as a 250 ml solution and stored in a single-use 2.5 ml vial. As a solution, Argatroban® is clear and slightly thick, with a colorless or pale yellow color. Vials with solution that is cloudy or insoluble should be discarded immediately. Patients should not freeze the medication and are encouraged to retain the vials in the cartons they came packaged in to protect them from light.

Argatroban® is administered by an injection into a vein. Doctors usually determine the dosage according to the patient's weight, medical condition, and response to treatment. In cases where the patient has liver issues, doctors considerably reduce the initial dosage as a precautionary measure.

Side effects of Argatroban® include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, coughing, and abdominal pain. In some more extreme cases, patients may experience some bleeding. Argatroban®'s use with some other anticoagulants may in fact increase the risk of bleeding.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved of Argatroban® in 2000. Two years later, the FDA approved it for use during a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This is a class of medical procedures that involves widening arteries to improve blood flow. PCIs are performed on patients who either have HIT or are likely to develop it.

The FDA places Argatroban® in Category B of its five-tier pregnancy risk classification system regarding pharmaceuticals. This means that the drug's tests on animal reproduction have failed to demonstrate a risk to pregnancy. Only Category A surpasses Category B in terms of low risk, which indicates that Argatroban® is one of the safest medications that pregnant patients can use.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-is-argatroban.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.