Alternatives to warfarin for the treatment of pulmonary emboli: the EINSTEIN-PE Study

The last few years have seen new oral anticoagulant treatments emerge with a major advantage over conventional vitamin K antagonism with warfarin: they have a predictable dose response that negates the need for laboratory monitoring. Dabigatran (Pradaxa), a direct thrombin inhibitor, and rivaroxaban are two such medications licenced for the prevention of stroke in atrial fibrillation. Rivaroxaban (Xiralto) is a direct inhibitor of Factor Xa. The 2011 ROCKET-AF study showed its efficacy in stroke prevention.1 The EINSTEIN-PE study was designed to compare efficacy and safety of fixed-dose oral rivaroxaban therapy against standard heparin plus warfarin in the treatment of symptomatic pulmonary emboli.2 This Bayer-sponsored study was randomised, open-label and included 4833 patients, half of whom were given 15 mg rivaroxaban twice daily for 3 weeks, and 20 mg once daily thereafter, and half of whom received long-term warfarin and enoxaparin at 1 mg/kg until their international normalised ratio (INR)...
Source: Thorax - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Miscellaneous Source Type: research