Pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer has relaunched Eliquis, an anticoagulant, to address the continued increase in the prevalence of stroke due to heart condition called atrial fibrillation in Nigeria which is a common cause of death in the adult population.

With hypertension as the number one heart disease and risk factor for stroke, affecting not less than 10 million adults in Nigeria, there is need for effective treatment, to improve success rate of treatment of severe and critically ill patients, cluster lead West Africa at Pfizer, Olayinka Subair, has said.

At the relaunch of Eliquis, in Lagos, he said while advocacy on the management of heart conditions like atrial fibrillation and blood glucose level are gaining ground, there is still a lot to be done to create awareness among patients and practitioners, as experience had shown that complications from heart conditions are preventable and reversible when identified early.

For more than 150 years, Subair averred that "Pfizer has been a leader in tackling some of the most persistent healthcare challenges through the breakthrough medicines and vaccines we discover, develop, and bring to market. Our medical breakthroughs change people's lives as we focus on the areas of greatest need, tackling the diseases that present the biggest challenge across countries and regions."

A professor of medicine, consultant physician and cardiologist, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Prof. Amam Chinyere Mbakwem, said Venous thromboembolism (VTE), a term referring to blood clots in the veins, is an underdiagnosed and a serious health condition, that can cause disability and death, adding that blood clots can break off and travel to the brain, leading to stroke or to other organs to prevent normal blood flow (also known as a systemic embolism).

Mbakwem said it is preventable with the help of Eliquis, Pfizer's breakthrough medicines in preventing blood clot from forming in the heart in patients with an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation).

"A stroke can be life-threatening and requires immediate medical attention. Anticoagulants or blood thinner medicines like Eliquis can prevent blood clots from forming. They do not break up clots that you already have, but they can stop those clots from getting bigger. It is important to treat blood clots, because clots in your blood vessels and heart can cause heart attacks, strokes, and blockages, leading to death," she said.