NICE has recommended Eliquis (apixaban) for the treatment and prevention of potentially fatal blood clots.
BMS and Pfizer’s anti-blood clotting drug will be an option for adults with, or at risk of, venous thromboembolism (VTE), a term used to describe deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).
DVT can lead to long-term illness including venous ulceration, chronic pain, swelling and skin changes in the affected limb.
Commenting on the draft guidance, Professor Carole Longson, NICE health technology evaluation centre director, said: “Apixaban, like the other newer oral anticoagulants already recommended by NICE for the treatment and secondary prevention of VTE, does not require frequent blood tests to monitor treatment and so represents a potential benefit for many people who have had a VTE.
“The committee also heard that apixaban is the only oral anticoagulant for which the licensed dose is lower for secondary prevention than for initial treatment of VTE. This could also be of potential benefit in terms of reducing the risk of bleeding where treatment is continued and therefore increase the chance that a person would take apixaban long term.”
Eliquis is administered in tablet form and helps prevent the blood clotting by stopping Factor Xa from working – this substance is required in the formation of thrombin and fibrin, which creates blood clots.
The recommended treatment dose for DVT or PE is 10mg twice a day for the first seven days, followed by 5mg twice a day for at least three months, with one tablet costing £1.10.
Eliquis gained a European license for DVT and PE in July last year, having already been approved for preventing stroke and systemic embolism with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.