ZURICH, June 7 (Reuters) - The European Medicines Agency
(EMA) on Monday highlighted guidance for doctors which calls for
them to avoid heparin when treating rare blood clots and low
platelet counts in patients who received AstraZeneca's
or Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccines.
Europe's drugs regulator, in a statement seeking to boost
awareness of proper treatment, focused on guidance from the
International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH),
which has concluded "management should be initiated with
non-heparin anticoagulation upon suspicion" of vaccine-linked
clotting.
"For the management of suspected (thrombosis with
thrombocytopenia syndrome), especially if no local guideline is
available, the taskforce recommends that healthcare
professionals consider the ISTH interim guidance," the EMA said
in its statement.
(Reporting by John Miller; Editing by Toby Chopra)