COUMADIN® COOKBOOK HELPS PATIENTS MANAGE THEIR DIETS

SALISBURY, MD, July 9, 1998 -- For the more than two million people who take Coumadin®(Warfarin Sodium Tablets, USP) Crystalline daily, keeping a consistent intake of vitamin K in their diets may help avoid both strokes and serious internal bleeds. Maintaining a diet with consistent vitamin K intake may be an especially difficult task when an increased supply of fresh summer vegetables is available. Coumadin® works to increase the time it takes for a patient's blood to thin by going against the action of vitamin K.

Now, a practicing cardiologist has made their task much simpler by co-authoring the first cookbook dedicated to a single prescription medication — The Coumadin® Cookbook (Marsh Publishing, $16.95).

"Patients on Coumadin® have many questions about their diet," says Dr. René Desmarais. "They need to know what to eat and how much of each type of food they can eat. Some of the advice they get is difficult to follow, especially if they have high blood pressure or artery disease. So I decided to write a cookbook that provides consistent advice regarding diets and recipes with accurate vitamin K content."

Dr. Desmarais is a partner in Peninsula Cardiology Associates of Salisbury, MD. The group together treats about 600 patients who take Coumadin®.

Along with Greg Golden, a cardiovascular technologist in the practice, and Golden's mother, Gail Beynon, an avid cook and computer specialist, Dr. Desmarais has compiled a volume consisting of more than 300 recipes with accurate vitamin K content, plus useful dietary tips for patients on Coumadin® and a list of foods with very low vitamin K content.

"The goal of this cookbook is to allow the person on Coumadin® to more easily consume approximately the same amount of vitamin K each day in a heart-healthy way," Dr. Desmarais writes. "This is essential for maintaining a steady protime on a given Coumadin® dose." Prothrombin time/INR testing is used to determine a range of proper anticoagulation.

Among the helpful tips provided in The Coumadin® Cookbook are how to prepare salads for the patient on Coumadin® and the handling and consumption of vegetable oils.

"I selected the recipes in the cookbook based on taste, family favorites, and ease of preparation," Gail Beynon says. "Included are a basic variety of recipes to cover all types of meals and foods. We then calculated the amount of vitamin K in each recipe."

The Coumadin® Cookbook can be ordered by sending a check or money order for $20.95 (including shipping & handling) to Marsh Publishing Co., P.O. Box 1597, Salisbury, MD, 21802-1597 or with credit card by calling 410-749-1989.

There is also a website, www.coumadincookbook.com.

DuPont Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Coumadin®, is not a financial partner in The Coumadin®Cookbook and receives no revenues in any form from its sales. Publicity is being provided as a service to Coumadin® patients and their families. Please note that DuPont Pharmaceuticals did not contribute to, and is not responsible for, the content of The Coumadin® Cookbook.

The most common adverse event and serious risk of oral anticoagulation therapy with Coumadin® (Warfarin Sodium Tablets, USP) Crystalline is bleeding in any tissue or organ.

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