Xarelto Safe for Cardioverting Afib

Cardiologists who have switched atrial fibrillation patients awaiting elective cardioversion to a novel oral anticoagulant (NOAC) such as rivaroxaban (Xarelto) may find reassurance in the results of X-VeRT, which found that 20 mg of rivaroxaban was as safe as warfarin in that setting.

Patients randomized to rivaroxaban were half as likely to have a stroke or a heart attack during cardioversion than warfarin patients, 0.51% versus 1.02% (relative risk 0.50, 95% CI 0.15-1.73). Rivaroxaban patients were also less likely to develop major bleeding, 0.61% versus 0.80% (RR 0.76, 95% CI 0.21-2.67) - but as study leader Riccardo Cappato, MD, of the University of Milan, pointed out, "there were very few events in both arms and the trial was not powered to produce a statistically significant difference."

In the rivaroxaban group, four patients died versus two patients in the control group, but again the difference was not statistically significant.

Cappato reported the results of X-VeRT (eXplore the efficacy and safety of once-daily oral riVaroxaban for the prevention of caRdiovascular events in patients with nonvalvular aTrial fibrillation scheduled for cardioversion) at the final Hot Line session of the European Society of Cardiology annual meeting.

The study was simultaneously published online in the European Heart Journal.

The trial recruited patients from 141 centers and 16 countries, who were scheduled to undergo either electrical (97.6%) or pharmacological (2.4%) cardioversion.

XARELTO safe for use with elderly, study finds XARELTO® (rivaroxaban) is safe to use in elderly patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, an analysis published in Circulation finds.

The ROCKET AF trial looked at patients over age 75, and found the use of rivaroxaban, a daily oral anticoagulant, is a viable alternative to warfarin. XARELTO® does not require routine blood monitoring and has no known food restrictions and limited drug interactions.

Consistent safety and efficacy results with XARELTO® were achieved across NVAF patient subgroups at high risk of stroke, such as those with prior stroke or co-occurring medical conditions, including moderate renal impairment, chronic heart failure and diabetes.

Eight million patients have received the medication, which is believed to have broad applications. It can be used to reduce the risk of strokes and blood clots in patients with atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, to treat deep vein thrombosis, to treat pulmonary embolism, to reduce the recurrence of DVT or PE following treatment for acute venous thromboembolism, and to reduce the risk of clots in the legs and lungs of people who have had knee or hip replacement surgery.