Is Desirudin legal in the US?
Yes, FDA approved for preventing leg clots after hip replacement, but it is no longer sold in the US.
AStrong human evidenceFDA approvedas of 2026-10-26
Desirudin was FDA-approved in 2003 as Iprivask for preventing deep vein thrombosis in patients undergoing elective hip replacement. Iprivask has been discontinued in the United States and no generic is sold, so the approval stands but no product is available. 2
Yes, since 2003, for preventing deep vein thrombosis after planned hip replacement. The only brand, Iprivask, has been discontinued in the United States. No generic exists, so you cannot get it. 2
More on Desirudin
Citations
- Eriksson 1997, N Engl J Med: recombinant hirudin (desirudin) versus enoxaparin to prevent thromboembolism after total hip replacement pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Drugs.com: Iprivask (desirudin), discontinued drugs.com
- Eriksson 1997, J Bone Joint Surg Am: desirudin versus unfractionated heparin after total hip replacement doi.org
Reference information only, not medical advice. Drawn from the Desirudin article, fact-checked against the cited sources. No dosing anywhere on this site.