Fondaparinux , marketed under the name of Arixtra in the majority of the countries, is a Médicament Anticoagulant.

It is about a pentasaccharide made up of five units of sugar, this sequence of five sugars being derived from the portion of the Héparine which binds to the Antithrombine. While binding to the antithrombine, the fondaparinux inhibits the Xa factor (contrary to the fondaparinux the molecular low-weight heparin has on average 15 sugars).

The fondaparinux is managed daily by subcutaneous way. On the clinical level, it is used for the prevention of the major venous Thrombose among patients who undergo an orthopedic intervention of surgery like for the treatment of major venous thrombosis and of the pulmonary Embolie.

Compared to heparins (split or not), a potential advantage of the fondaparinux is that the risk of thrombocytopenia induced by heparin is substantially weaker.

Its use in the treatment of unstable angor and the Myocardial infarction is in the course of evaluation: it is at least as effective as the Enoxaparine, a Héparine of low molecular weight in these cases.

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