PARIS, Aug 30 (Reuters) - An experimental anti-clotting drug from Japan's Astellas increased bleeding two- to four-fold in a mid-stage clinical study of heart patients, raising questions about its role in treating those with acute coronary problems. The new oral anticoagulant, known as darexaban or YM150, also showed no sign of reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes, although researchers said the 1,279-patient Phase II study was too small to evaluate efficacy with any certainty. While the results are disappointing, the outcome does not necessarily mean darexaban has no future, Dr Gabriel Steg of the Hospital Bichat in Paris, who led the research, said on Tuesday.
