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For patients with an elevated stroke risk, switching anticoagulant medications could be a health gamble. Those who change from Eliquis (apixaban) to Xarelto (rivaroxaban) could face almost double the risk of stroke or severe bleeding. Conversely, sticking with Eliquis or transitioning from rivaroxaban to Eliquis appears to be a safer option.Those are key takeaways from a retrospective real-world data study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2023.
ATHENS Study: New insights into Eliquis and Xarelto switchingThe ATHENS study focused on patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) and used a hazard ratio (HR) to quantify the likelihood of stroke or systemic embolism. Specifically, the HR for increased risk for either condition was 1.99, and for major bleeding, it was 1.80, both indicating a substantially elevated risk.
Eliquis has been the subject of seve…