Role of Apixaban (Eliquis) in the Treatment And Prevention of Thromboembolic Disease

From the 1940s through 2010, warfarin (Coumadin, Bristol-Myers Squibb) was the only oral anticoagulant on the market in the U.S. for the treatment and prevention of thromboembolic disease. In 2010, the FDA approved dabigatran (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim), an oral direct thrombin inhibitor, for the prevention of thromboembolic events in patients with atrial fibrillation.1 In 2011, rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Janssen), an oral factor Xa inhibitor, was the second novel oral anticoagulant to be approved in the U.S. for the prevention of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after hip or knee replacement and for the prophylaxis of cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) and systemic embolism in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.2 Apixaban (Eliquis, Bristol-Myers Squibb) is the third novel oral anticoagulant to be approved in the U.S. for the management of thromboembolic disease. Apixaban is a potent, direct, selective factor Xa inhibitor that was approved on December 28, 2012. This article reviews the pharmacology, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy, and safety data for this agent.