"Boehringer Ingelheim announced (...) the launch of the biggest thromboembolic disease clinical trial programme ever. The trials under the umbrella name RE-VOLUTION™ will involve in total more than 27,000 patients worldwide and investigate a novel oral direct thrombin inhibitor, dabigatran etexilate (...) from Boehringer Ingelheim`s Research and Development for the prevention and treatment of thromboembolic disease.
The target indications include stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (SPAF). Atrial fibrillation is the most common form of cardiac arrhythmia and accounts for 15% of all strokes. Patients with atrial fibrillation and one or more additional common risk factors like hypertension, diabetes or heart failure have a five-fold higher risk of stroke compared to the general population.
(...) (It) will also be investigated in the prevention of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after hip or knee replacement surgery, acute DVT treatment and secondary prevention of DVT. Venous thromboembolism is a common and potentially life-threatening disease. It is estimated that one fifth of patients who develop deep vein thrombosis die of sudden death due to pulmonary embolism."

This is an extract from the news release of 18 January 2006 aspublished by Boehringer Ingelheim for the medical media outside the USonly as information about the clinical trial programme with theumbrella name of RE-VOLUTION™

Please see the news releases above and observe the clinical trials as listed on the website of
the U.S. National Institutes of Health under the search result for dabigatran ClinicalTrials.gov