Apixaban, sold under the brand name Eliquis among others, is an anticoagulant medication used to treat and prevent blood clots and to prevent stroke in people with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Specifically it is used to prevent blood clots following hip or knee replacement and in those with a history of prior clots. It is used as an alternative to warfarin and does not require monitoring by blood tests. It is taken by mouth. Common side effects include bleeding and nausea. Other side effects may include bleeding around the spine and allergic reactions. Use is not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Use appears to be relatively safe in those with mild kidney problems. Compared to warfarin it has fewer interactions with other medications. It is a direct factor Xa inhibitor. Apixaban was approved for medical use in the European Union in May 2011 and in the United States in December 2012. In 2017, it was the 93rd most commonly prescribed medication in the United States with more than eight million prescriptions. In December 2019, generic versions were approved in the United States.
Apixaban is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in people with non-valvular atrial fibrillation and at least one of the following risk factors: prior stroke or transient ischemic attack, age 75 years or older, diabetes mellitus, or symptomatic heart failure. Apixaban and other anticoagulants appear equally effective as warfarin in preventing non-hemorrhagic stroke in people with atrial fibrillation and are associated with lower risk of intracranial bleeding. While apixaban may be used in people with severely decreased kidney function and those on hemodialysis it has not been studied in these groups. Full dose apixaban can be used, unless at least two of the following characteristics apply: patient age is 80 years or older, body weight is 60 kg or less, and serum creatinine is 1.5 mg/dL or higher, in which case dose reduction to 2.5 mg bid is indicated.
Following spinal anesthesia or puncture people who are being treated with anti-thrombotic agents are at higher risk for developing a hematoma, which can cause long-term or permanent paralysis. The risk of this may be increased by using epidural or intrathecal catheters after a surgical operation or from the concurrent use of medicinal agents that affect hemostasis.
Mechanism of action
Apixaban is a highly selective, orally bioavailable, and reversible direct inhibitor of free and clot-bound factor Xa. Factor Xa catalyzes the conversion of prothrombin to thrombin, the final enzyme in the coagulation cascade that is responsible for fibrin clot formation. Apixaban has no direct effect on platelet aggregation, but by inhibiting factor Xa, it indirectly decreases clot formation induced by thrombin.
History
Apixaban was approved for medical use in the European Union in May 2011. A new drug application for the approval of apixaban was submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer jointly after conclusion of the ARISTOTLE clinical trial in 2011. Apixaban was approved for the prevention of stroke in people with atrial fibrillation on December 28, 2012. On March 13, 2014, it was approved for the additional indication of preventing deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in people who have recently undergone knee or hip replacement. On August 21, 2014, the FDA approved apixaban for the additional indication of the treatment of recurring deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. During its development the drug was known as BMS-562247-01. By late 2019, sales of the product by BMS accounted for thirty-percent of their quarterly revenue. In December 2019, the US FDA approved a generic version produced jointly by Mylan and Micro Labs.
