(Updated) –Oral anticoagulant reduced CV events in patients with coronary and peripheral disease. The very large COMPASS study has been stopped early for “overwhelming efficacy,” according to a press release issued by Bayer AG and Janssen, manufacturers of rivaroxaban (Xarelto). The phase 3 trial randomized 27,402 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and peripheral artery…
Enormous Rivaroxaban Study Stopped Early For ‘Overwhelming Efficacy’
February 8, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Eliquis Nipping At The Heels of NOAC Market Leader Xarelto
October 20, 2016 by 1 Comment
–But the overall market for the new oral anticoagulants continues to expand. The new oral anticoagulant (NOAC) market is growing larger and is becoming increasingly competitive. The latest market data shows that apixaban (Eliquis, Pfizer and BristolMyers Squibb) is challenging the established leader in the field, rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Johnson & Johnson). According to recent data…
FDA Reaffirms Safety And Efficacy Of Rivaroxaban
October 11, 2016 by Leave a Comment
–FDA says no changes needed to the rivaroxaban label. Following a year of controversy and uncertainty relating to the anticoagulant drug rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Johnson & Johnson), the FDA has reaffirmed the drug’s safety and efficacy. Rivaroxaban is approved for stroke reduction in patients with atrial fibrillation. The indication is based on results of the ROCKET-AF…
More Bleeding Linked To Rivaroxaban In Observational Study
October 4, 2016 by 1 Comment
–Compared to dabigatran, rivaroxaban was associated with more intracranial and other serious bleeds. A new observational study finds that patients who take rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Johnson & Johnson) may be more likely to have serious bleeding events than patients who take dabigatran (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim). In a paper published in JAMA Internal Medicine, David Graham and…
More Blasts Of Concern Over ROCKET-AF
September 28, 2016 by 1 Comment
The controversy over the big Xarelto trial does not appear to be going away. A new investigation published in the BMJ raises more troubling questions about the ROCKET-AF trial, which compared the novel oral anticoagulant rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Johnson & Johnson) to warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation. The controversy about the trial first unfolded last…
ROCKET AF Investigators Say New Analysis Supports Original Trial Results
July 6, 2016 by 1 Comment
–Test of stored blood may help answer troubling questions about the trial. A new analysis of stored blood by the ROCKET AF trial investigators may help resolve lingering questions about the trial. The questions about ROCKET AF, which compared rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Johnson & Johnson) to warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation, emerged last November, when…
New Studies Seek To Allay Concerns Over The ROCKET-AF Trial
February 3, 2016 by Leave a Comment
New post-hoc analyses of ROCKET-AF confirm the main results of the controversial trial, according to a paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The papers are a response to disturbing questions about the trial raised last fall. But the new analyses will not fully satisfy some critics of the trial who are calling for…
ROCKET-AF Investigators Seek To Calm Concerns About Trial Reliability
December 13, 2015 by Leave a Comment
(Updated) In response to disturbing questions about the integrity and reliability of crucial data in the ROCKET AF trial, the executive committee of the trial has released a statement saying that they have “conducted a secondary analysis of the trial findings” and that “the findings from the analysis are consistent with the results from the original trial and do not…
New Questions Raised About ROCKET AF, Pivotal Xarelto Trial Chaired By Califf
November 30, 2015 by 1 Comment
(Updated) Disturbing questions are being raised about the integrity and reliability of crucial data in the ROCKET AF trial. The investigation could have important implications on several fronts. First, the trial serves as the basis for the use of the blockbuster drug rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Johnson & Johnson) for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation. Second, the…
Apixaban Gains Indication For DVT Prophylaxis After Knee And Hip Replacement Surgery
March 14, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The FDA has approved a new indication for apixaban (Eliquis), the anticoagulant drug manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer. The new indication is for the prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients who have undergone hip or knee replacement surgery. DVT can lead to the life-threatening condition of pulmonary embolism (PE). The DVT prophylaxis indication joins the previously…
FDA Once Again Rejects New Indication For Rivaroxaban
February 14, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The third time wasn’t the charm. The FDA today turned turned down– for the third time– the supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Johnson & Johnson) for use in acute coronary syndrome patients to reduce MI, stroke or death. In addition, the FDA– for the second time– turned down the sNDA for rivaroxaban in…
FDA Panel Once Again Rejects New Indication For Rivaroxaban
January 16, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The FDA’s Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee once again turned down the supplemental new drug application for an acute coronary syndrome indication for Johnson & Johnson’s Xarelto (rivaroxaban). The nearly unanimous vote (10-0, with 1 abstention) was in line with a highly negative review from FDA staff members. … Click here to read the full post on Forbes….
Rivaroxaban Faces Uphill Battle At FDA Advisory Panel
January 14, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The third time may not be the charm. Twice before the FDA has turned down the supplemental new drug application for an acute coronary syndrome indication for Johnson & Johnson’s Xarelto (rivaroxaban). On Thursday the Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee will take up the sNDA yet again, but FDA review documents posted today suggest that the company will again…
New Trial Confirms Role For Pradaxa In Venous Thromboembolism
December 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment
A new study helps support a role for the new oral anticoagulant dabigatran (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim) in patients with venous thrombosis (VTE). The RE-COVER II trial, published online in Circulation, confirms the finding of the earlier and highly similar RE-COVER trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2009, that dabigatran is as safe and effective as warfarin for…
Possible New Lease On Life For Two Cardiology Drugs From Merck And J&J
December 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Early next year an FDA panel will review a new drug from Merck and a new indication for Xarelto (rivaroxaban), Johnson & Johnson’s highly successful new oral anticoagulant. Both drugs have had a rocky road getting to this stage and their success is by no means assured, but the announcement of the meeting of the FDA’s Cardiovascular and Renal…
Large Study Finds Favorable Risk-Benefit Profile For The New Anticoagulants
December 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment
A very large new meta-analysis finds a favorable risk-benefit for the new oral anticoagulant drugs in the setting of atrial fibrillation. The findings, published online in the Lancet, were remarkably consistent for all four of the new agents which have been fighting to replace warfarin, which was the only oral anticoagulant available for decades until the arrival of…
FDA Turns Back New Indication For Rivaroxaban To Prevent Stent Thrombosis In ACS Patients
June 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Johnson & Johnson said today that it had received a complete response letter from the FDA for the supplemental new drug application for rivaroxaban (Xarrelto) for the prevention of stent thrombosis in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Earlier this year the FDA turned down for the second time the sNDA for the general use of rivaroxaban to…
Rivaroxaban Gains Approval In Europe For ACS Indication
May 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Bayer) has been approved in Europe for the prevention of atherothrombotic events (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction or stroke) following an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The drug was approved at a dose of 2.5 mg twice-daily and should be used in combination with standard antiplatelet therapy. Rivaroxaban is now the only oral anticoagulant to receive an…
CHMP And FDA Diverge On Mipomersen And Rivaroxaban
March 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The US FDA and Europe’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) have taken opposite views of two important and controversial new cardiovascular drugs. Although earlier this month the FDA rejected— for the second time– an ACS indication for the oral anticoagulant rivaroxaban (Xarelto), CHMP announced today that it had adopted a positive opinion for the…
FDA Again Rejects ACS Indication for Rivaroxaban (Xarelto)
March 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment
For the second time the FDA has turned down the supplemental new drug application (NDA) for the proposed indication of rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Johnson & Johnson) to treat patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). … In a new press release issues on Monday afternoon, the company restated its confidence “in the robustness and results of the ATLAS…
New Studies Examine Prolonged Anticoagulation For VTE Recurrence
February 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Three studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine provide important new information about the risks and benefits of extended prophylaxis using two of the new oral anticoagulants in patients who have had venous thromboembolism (VTE). … In an accompanying editorial, Jean Connors writes that “deciding how to balance the risks and benefits of extended anticoagulation is…
Rivaroxaban Effective In Medically Ill Patients But At High Bleeding Cost
February 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The recent arrival of novel oral anticoagulants has provided important new options for venous thromboembolism (VTE) treatment and prevention. New indications for these drugs have been granted for patients with atrial fibrillation and following orthopedic surgery. But an additional indication, for acutely ill medical patients at risk for VTE, does not appear likely in the…
Two Experts Help Sort Out The New Generation Of Anticoagulants
January 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Don’t miss this very practical discussion about the new generation of anticoagulants and the short term loan costs to cover them over on CardioExchange. Here are a few excerpts. Christian Thomas Ruff: I believe the addition of the 3 currently approved novel anticoagulants (dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban) will eventually translate into a greater proportion of eligible patients…
FDA Approves Eliquis (Apixaban) For Stroke Prevention In AF
December 28, 2012 by 4 Comments
The FDA has finally approved apixaban (Eliquis, Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer) to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. The action comes after the widely-anticipated drug had been plagued by delays at the FDA but well before the PDUFA deadline of March 17, 2013. Eliquis is the latest…
Boehringer Ends Phase 2 Trial Of Dabigatran In Mechanical Valve Patients
December 12, 2012 by 2 Comments
Boehringer Ingelheim today announced that it had discontinued a phase 2 trial of its anticoagulant drug dabigatran (Pradaxa) in patients with mechanical heart valves. As reported here in October, the company had previously terminated one arm of the study after an interim review of the data by the trial’s Data Safety Monitoring Board The RE-ALIGN trial was an open-label,…
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