The Apixaban versus Acetylsalicylic Acid to Prevent Strokes (AVERROES) trial, a study that compared the safety and effectiveness of apixaban (Pfizer/Bristol-Myers Squibb) and aspirin in patients with atrial fibrillation, has been stopped early after a predefined interim analysis by the independent data monitoring committee indicated that the new drug reduced stroke and systemic embolism and atrial fibrillation patients.
The AVERROES trial was conducted by McMaster University, in Hamilton, ON, and consisted of 5600 patients from 36 countries with all types of atrial fibrillation who were intolerant of or unsuitable for warfarin. Patients were randomized to either 5 mg of apixaban or 81 to 324 mg of aspirin for up to 36 months or until the end of the study.
Even though the full details of the results are not yet available, it is believed that this drug will provide the same benefits (no need for routine blood monitoring) as the long-waited dabigatran, Pradaxa.
Apixaban is an oral factor Xa inhibitor that is being tested in a number of different types of patients
Source: Pfizer/Bristol-Myers Squibb. AVERROES study of investigational agent apixaban closes early due to clear evidence of efficacy. June 9, 2010.
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