Another anticoagulant proves noninferior to warfarin.
Rivaroxaban, an oral factor Xa inhibitor, might be a new alternative to warfarin for anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The ROCKET AF study was a multicenter, double-blind, industry-sponsored, randomized trial of once-daily oral rivaroxaban compared with dose-adjusted warfarin in moderate-to-high-risk patients with nonvalvular AF. The authors hypothesized that rivaroxaban is noninferior to warfarin at preventing the composite of stroke (ischemic and hemorrhagic) and systemic embolism. The 14,264 enrolled patients (median age, 73; 40% women) had a mean CHADS2 score of 3.5; about half had a CHADS2 score of ≥4.
Median follow-up was 707 days. In the warfarin group, the overall mean proportion of time in therapeutic intern…
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardUnited Healthcare; Element Science; Eyedentifeye, F-Prime
EquityHugo Health; Refactor Health; Element Science
Grant/Research SupportPfizer; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Janssen Research and Development, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Cancer Institute; American Heart Association
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardUnited Healthcare; Element Science; Eyedentifeye, F-Prime
EquityHugo Health; Refactor Health; Element Science
Grant/Research SupportPfizer; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Janssen Research and Development, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Cancer Institute; American Heart Association