Strong results for Bayer's Xarelto in treating pulmonary blood clots

German drugs and crops sciences group Bayer (BAY: DE), and partner Janssen, part of US health care major Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), yesterday released new study results showing that their oral anticoagulant Xarelto (rivaroxaban), the first single drug intervention for the treatment of venous blood clots, has a comparable safety profile and is as effective as the current dual drug approach of enoxaparin followed by Vitamin K antagonist (VKA) in treating patients with acute symptomatic pulmonary embolism (PE) and preventing the development of secondary venous blood clots.

The results of the EINSTEIN-PE study, the largest PE trial of all non-VKA oral anticoagulants, demonstrated similar overall bleeding rates with rivaroxaban by comparison to current standard therapy. Importantly, rivaroxaban was associated with a significant 50% relative risk reduction in major bleeding events (1.1% versus 2.2%, respectively (p=0.003)]. The data were presented yesterday as a late-breaker at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Sessions in Chicago, USA, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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