CardioExchange Archive

September 27th, 2012

FDA Sets New Decision Date for Eliquis (Apixaban)

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA  will decide the fate of apixaban (Eliquis) by March 17, 2013. The new Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) goal date was announced yesterday by the drug’s manufacturers, Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb. The new drug application (NDA) for apixaban for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation has been delayed twice. Although the pivotal ARISTOTLE trial was highly praised when […]

---

September 21st, 2012

Apixaban (Eliquis) For Atrial Fibrillation Gets Positive European Recommendation

Larry Husten, PHD

The European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended approval for apixaban (Eliquis, Pfizer and BristolMyers Squibb) for atrial fibrillation. The drug is already approved in Europe for the prevention of venous thromboembolic events following hip or knee replacement surgery. The drug has not yet been approved in the United States. Here is the CHMP-proposed indication for the […]

---

March 1st, 2012

Decision on Apixaban (Eliquis) Pushed Back By 3 Months

Larry Husten, PHD

Confirming earlier speculation by a Wall Street analyst, Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb announced on Wednesday evening that the FDA had extended by 3 months the action date for the new drug application (NDA) for the highly anticipated oral anticoagulant apixaban (Eliquis). The application is for their important indication of stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation. The […]

---

December 7th, 2011

FDA Undertakes Safety Review of Dabigatran (Pradaxa)

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA announced today that it is initiating a safety review of dabigatran (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim). The review was prompted by reports of serious bleeding events in people taking the drug. Bleeding complications, the FDA acknowledges, are a “a well-recognized complication of all anticoagulant therapies.” The agency says it is “working to determine whether the reports of bleeding […]

---

November 4th, 2011

FDA Approves Rivaroxaban for Stroke Prevention in AF

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA has approved rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Johnson & Johnson) for stroke reduction in people with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. The label will include a boxed warning that people should not discontinue taking the drug without talking with a healthcare professional. The FDA will also require that patients getting the drug receive a Medication Guide describing the […]

---

September 8th, 2011

FDA Advisory Panel Gives Yellow Light to Rivaroxaban

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee voted 9-2 (with 1 abstention) in support of rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Johnson & Johnson) for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation, but the vote did not represent a ringing endorsement of the drug. The committee wrestled throughout the day with the numerous concerns raised by FDA reviewers, […]

---

September 6th, 2011

FDA Reviewers Recommend Complete Response Letter for Rivaroxaban (Xarelto)

Larry Husten, PHD

FDA reviewers have recommended against the approval of rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Johnson & Johnson), which will be the subject of a Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee meeting on Thursday. The recommendation comes as a surprise, as many physicians and analysts had expected an easy approval for the drug. The bottom line from the FDA reviewers is […]

---

August 28th, 2011

ARISTOTLE Finds the Golden Mean of Anticoagulation

Larry Husten, PHD

In ancient Greece the philosopher Aristotle thought the golden mean was the desirable middle between two extremes, one of excess and the other of deficiency. In cardiology, apixaban may be the golden mean of anticoagulation, achieving the ideal balance of reduced strokes and deaths without causing any additional bleeding complications. The Apixaban for Reduction in Stroke and Other […]

---

August 10th, 2011

Rivaroxaban Compared with Warfarin in 14,000 AF Patients

Larry Husten, PHD

In ROCKET AF (Rivaroxaban Once Daily Oral Direct Factor Xa Inhibition Compared with Vitamin K Antagonism for Prevention of Stroke and Embolism Trial in Atrial Fibrillation), researchers tested rivaroxaban (20 mg/day) against warfarin in 14,264 patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF). The results of the trial, which were first presented last November at the American […]

---

June 22nd, 2011

Apixaban (Eliquis) Meets Primary Endpoint in ARISTOTLE

Larry Husten, PHD

Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb said that their new oral direct Factor Xa drug apixaban, which will be marketed under the brand name of Eliquis, had met the primary endpoint of the ARISTOTLE study. The Apixaban for the Prevention of Stroke in Subjects With Atrial Fibrillation (ARISTOTLE) study was designed to compare the factor Xa inhibitor apixaban with […]

---