Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Doggrell, Sheila A

Titel

More light at the end of the tunnel - apixaban in atrial fibrillation: Evaluation of Granger CB, Alexander JH, McMurray JJV et al. Apixaban versus warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation. N Engl J Med 2011, 365:981-92 and Connolly SJ Eikelboom J, Joyner C et al. Apixaban in patients with atrial fibrillation. N Engl J Med 2011, 364:806-17

Ist Teil von

• Expert opinion on investigational drugs, 2012-08, Vol.21 (8), p.1235-1239

Ort / Verlag

Taylor & Francis

Erscheinungsjahr

2012

Link zum Volltext

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Introduction: Subjects with atrial fibrillation are at risk of thromboembolic events. The vitamin K antagonists (e.g., warfarin) are useful at preventing coagulation in atrial fibrillation, but are difficult to use. One of the FXa inhibitors, oral apixaban, has been tested as an anticoagulant in atrial fibrillation. Areas covered: In ARISTOTLE (Apixaban for reduction in stroke and other thromboembolic events in atrial fibrillation) apixaban was compared to warfarin in subjects with atrial fibrillation, and shown to cause a lower rate of stroke or systemic embolism and of major bleeding, than warfarin. In the AVERROES (Apixaban versus acetylsalicylic acid [ASA] to prevent stroke in atrial fibrillations patients who have failed or are unsuitable for vitamin K antagonist treatment) trial, stroke or systemic embolism occurred less often with apixaban than aspirin, whereas the occurrence of major bleeding was similar in the groups. Expert opinion: Apixaban is much easier for subjects with atrial fibrillation to use than warfarin, as it does not require regular monitoring by a health professional, with dosage adjustment. In addition to replacing warfarin in subjects with atrial fibrillation who are unable or not prepared to use warfarin, apixaban has the potential to replace warfarin more widely in the prevention of thromboembolism in subjects with atrial fibrillation.