No evidence to support routine blood monitoring of new oral anticoagulants at this time, says Australia's TGA

Consumers and health professionals are advised that a recently completed review by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has found that, based on the current information, there is no evidence to support a recommendation for routine blood monitoring to improve the safety of the new oral anticoagulants (NOACs).

The NOACs are apixaban (Eliquis, from Bristol-Myers Squibb Company [NYSE: BMY] and Pfizer [NYSE: PFE]), dabigatran (Pradaxa, from Boehringer Ingelheim) and rivaroxaban (Xarelto, from Bayer [BAYN: DE]). They are oral medications, sometimes referred to as 'blood thinners,' that are used to prevent or treat blood clots.

The TGA undertook the review following recent publication of articles in the medical literature which suggested that the safety of these medicines could be improved if routine blood monitoring was undertaken.