Articles Posted in Xarelto

There is a good chance that the millions of people watching this year’s Super Bowl will see a commercial for Xarelto. Xarelto, with a generic name rivaroxaban, is making hundreds of millions of dollars for Beyer and Janssen (a wholly owned Johnson & Johnson subsidiary), and these companies will take any chance they can get to increased sales.

Xarelto is a often called a blood thinning medication like Warfarin (Coumadin), which is its biggest competitor, but it is actually an anticoagulant. Xarelto serves the same purpose as a blood thinner, but workers differently. A blood thinner, as the name implies, thins a patient’s blood, and this makes it more difficult for blood clots to form. There is nothing wrong with clotting when we are talking about a cut that is bleeding. The human body produces platelets to form clots to stop bleeding when a laceration occurs. Continue reading

Xarelto is a member of class of drugs known as New Oral Anticoagulants (NOACs). It is an alternative to traditional blood thinners such a Warfarin (Coumadin), which is often prescribed to patients who suffer from a serious medical condition known as atrial fibrillation (Afib). Afib is a medical condition classified by an irregular heartbeat that causes stroke or heart attack.

While Xarelto has been shown to be effective in preventing stroke or heart attacks in Afib patients, it has a potentially deadly side effect. Thousands of Xarelto users have developed a serious internal bleeding disorder caused by the drug, and this can include intracranial bleeding. There are no warning signs or risk factors that seem to make some patients more likely than others to develop the bleeding disorders, and there is also no FDA approved reversal agent (antidote). Essentially, people come into emergency rooms with internal bleeding, and there is nothing doctors can do to save the patients. For this reason, the Xarealto related bleeding disorder is considered potentially fatal. There is an antidote for a Xarelto competitor known Pradaxa, but that antidote (Praxbind) is not approved for Xarelto victims. Continue reading

Xarelto, Pradaxa, and Eliquis are three of four New Oral Anticoagulants (NOACs) that are all fighting with each other and the makers of Warfarin (Coumadin) to become the market leader for medications used for the prevention of serious blood clotting disorders in patients who suffer from a medical condition known as atrial fibrillation (Afib). Afib patients have an irregular heartbeat that can cause large blood clots to form deep within the veins of the legs. These clots can break free of the veins in which they form and travel through the circulatory system to the lungs, where they can cause a deadly tear known as a pulmonary embolism (PE).

As described in a recent industry feature from FiercePharma, in order to prevent these clots from forming, doctors will typically prescribe an oral medication. For many years the gold standard was Warfarin (Coumadin), and this medicine is actually a blood thinner. While it is every effective in treating Afib patients, it is not the most convenient for patients, and there are some risks. If the dose of medication is off, the patient may suffer a serious internal bleeding condition. However, the patient can monitor his or her diet closely, as certain foods affect the rate of Coumadin absorption, and he or she can have regular blood tests to make sure the dosage is correct. Continue reading

For several years, Pradaxa, Elliquis, and Xarelto have had the market cornered on sales of New Oral Anticoagulants (NOACs) as treatment for patients who suffer from a serious medical condition known as atrial fibrillation (Afib). NOACs are an entirely new class of drugs designed to replace conventional blood thinners, such as Coumadin (Warfarin).

However, Daiichi Sankyo has recently entered the market with its own NOAC product under the name Savaysa. The company has high hopes for Savaysa sales, given that it recently lost its patent for Benicar, according to a recent news article from Fierce Pharma. Benicar, which will soon be available as a generic, is responsible for around 27 percent of Daiichi sales, so this loss will hurt. The company is hoping to make up for that loss with sales of their new drug, Savaysa, but they are running into some stumbling blocks. Continue reading