Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH has enrolled first patient into the PREvention oF thromboembolic events - European Registry in Venous ThromboEmbolism (PREFER in VTE). PREFER in VTE is the first patient registry to gather comprehensive data on the quality of life and treatment satisfaction of patients with VTE.

PREFER in VTE will also provide detailed insights into the process of patient management in the acute treatment phase, as well as in the prevention of repeat thromboembolic events. In addition, the PREFER in VTE registry will investigate the economic burden of VTE treatment.

Discussing the importance of this registry, Dr Alexander T Cohen, consultant Vascular Medicine, Department of Vascular Surgery, King's College Hospital, London, said, "The enrolment of the first patient in this registry is an exciting milestone. PREFER in VTE is the first registry of its kind that will provide detailed insight into the patient's perspective. Relying on patient interviews and diaries rather than focusing purely on a doctor's assessment of VTE, will give us important patient data outside of a clinical trial setting."

VTE is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and the annual number of VTE-related deaths has been estimated at more than 500,000 across the EU. Results of literature reviews have shown that VTE, and its consequences, have considerable economic impacts on healthcare systems.

The PREFER in VTE registry plans to enrol more than 4,000 patients with VTE (deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or pulmonary embolism (PE)) across approximately 400 recruiting hospitals and specialised centres, in seven major European countries (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the UK). By collecting key data from different geographies, the registry will highlight important risk factors, as well as demonstrate diagnosis pathways and treatment modalities in this patient population. The review of current therapy and healthcare resource use will allow an evaluation of the relationship between the use of anticoagulants and approximate therapy costs. In contrast to other registries in this setting, PREFER in VTE is the first of its kind to also analyse the relationship between VTE treatment, a patient's quality of life and treatment satisfaction.

In 2012, Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH started another large registry, focussing on patients suffering from atrial fibrillation (AF) - the PREvention oF thromboembolic events - European Registry in Atrial Fibrillation (PREFER in AF). The company has now completed the enrolment of more than 7,100 patients who will be followed up for 12 months. The first set of data will be available in the summer of 2013.

The PREFER in VTE and PREFER in AF registries reinforce Daiichi Sankyo's leadership in cardiovascular medicine. Dr Jan van Ruymbeke, CEO of Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH, stated, "Daiichi Sankyo is committed to improve patient outcomes which means applying our expertise and innovation to provide best- in-class medicine for our patients."

Daiichi Sankyo discovered and is currently studying edoxaban, a novel once-daily oral factor Xa inhibitor, as a potential new treatment option for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolic events (SEE) in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). It is also being developed for the potential treatment and prevention of recurrence of VTE in patients with DVT and/or PE.

The PREFER in AF registry is a multi-centre, prospective observational disease registry, with a one-year follow up. The patient sample will represent all AF patient groups with no exclusion criteria and irrespective of whether they receive antithrombotic therapy or not.

VTE is the term for the generation of a blood clot within a vein, or the subsequent breaking off of that clot into a pulmonary (lung) artery. DVT and PE are the two sub-types of VTE. DVT is caused by a blood clot anywhere in the deep veins of the legs, pelvis or arms. PE is caused by a clot that detaches from the vein and travels to the lungs, lodging in the pulmonary arteries causing a potentially fatal condition. PE is often accompanied by DVT and a DVT can develop into a PE suddenly. It is estimated that VTE is the cause of approximately 12 per cent of annual deaths across Europe.

As demonstrated by data from six major European countries, VTE affects more than 750,000 people annually. Traditional therapies are often inconvenient and cumbersome, due to food and drug interactions, as well as the need for strict international normalized ratio (INR) monitoring.

AF is an abnormal rhythm of the heart. The heart has four chambers - two atria and two ventricles. The atria pump blood into the ventricles and the right ventricle pumps blood around the body; they therefore have to work in sequence for the heart to pump blood most effectively with each heartbeat.

A normal heart pumps blood with a regular rhythm - it can beat quickly or slowly but the interval between beats is the same. When a patient suffers from AF, numerous electrical pulses that fire from the heart muscles in the atria override the normal controlling 'timer' in the heart. When this happens, the atria contract rapidly, but only partially, and as a result pump blood less effectively.

Consequently, blood is not pumped effectively from the atria, which may cause the blood to stagnate and form clots. These blood clots can break off and travel through the blood stream e.g. to the brain, where they have the potential to cause a stroke.

The Daiichi Sankyo Group is dedicated to the creation and supply of innovative pharmaceutical products to address the diversified, unmet medical needs of patients in both mature and emerging markets.