Beyond Blood Thinners: Rethinking Stroke Prevention in AFib with Dr. Charles V. Pollack

October 9, 2025 by Alain Bouchard, MD Leave a Comment

Atrial fibrillation raises stroke risk fivefold. But what if blood thinners are too dangerous after a brain bleed or major fall?

A new monthly injection, abelacimab, may prevent strokes without the bleeding risk of traditional anticoagulants.

Is this the future for AFib patients who can’t take blood thinners? Cardiologist Dr. Alain Bouchard discusses this groundbreaking drug with Dr. Charles V. Pollack, a consultant clinical scientist and professional educator with Novartis, owner of abelacimab.

Blood thinners, used to treat atrial fibrillation, arranged in a question mark on a yellow background.

LEARN MORE: Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation: When Oral Anticoagulation Is Not an Option

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Alain Bouchard, MD

Dr. Alain Bouchard is a clinical cardiologist at Cardiology Specialists of Birmingham, AL. He is a native of Quebec, Canada and trained in Internal Medicine at McGill University in Montreal. He continued as a Research Fellow at the Montreal Heart Institute. He did a clinical cardiology fellowship at the University of California in San Francisco. He joined the faculty at the University of Alabama Birmingham from 1986 to 1990. He worked at CardiologyPC and Baptist Medical Center at Princeton from 1990-2019. He is now part of the Cardiology Specialists of Birmingham at St. Vincent's Health System, Ascension.