ZURICH : The European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Monday pushed guidance for doctors not to use the blood thinner heparin to treat rare blood clots and low blood platelets in people who got AstraZeneca's or Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 shots.Europe's drugs regulator, seeking to ensure proper treatment, highlighted the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) interim guidance.
In April, the ISTH concluded "management should be initiated with non-heparin anticoagulation upon suspicion" of vaccine-linked clotting and low platelets.The EMA move underscoring the ISTH guidelines is in line with recommendations of the U.S.