VTE Outcomes with Rivaroxaban Revealed in EINSTEIN CHOICE Trial

Just after heart attack and stroke, venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the third leading vascular diagnosis. The condition impacts hundreds of thousands of Americans every year. While there are treatments for the two types (deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE)), the condition remains serious and life-threatening.

Paul Burton, MD, PhD, vice president of Medical Affairs at Janssen, filled MD Magazine in on the phase 3 EINSTEIN CHOICE trial results at the 66^th Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology (ACC 2017) in Washington, District of Columbia. The trial examined the use of rivaroxaban (Xarelto/Janssen) or aspirin as extended treatment in patients with VTE.

“The trial was fascinating,” Burton said. “It showed that the use of rivaroxaban, at either dose, 20 mg once a day or 10 mg once a day, substantially reduced the patient’s risk of having another thromboembolism event.”

The EINSTEIN CHOICE data were simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the accompanying editorial, Mark A. Crowther, MD, and Adam Cuker, MD, explain that EINSTEIN CHOICE follows the AMPLIFY-EXT study, comparing apixaban (Eliquis/Bristol-Myers Squibb-Pfizer) with placebo in 2,482 patients with prior VTE who had completed 6 to 12 months of anticoagulation treatment for VTE. Results showed that extended anticoagulation with Eliquis twice daily reduced the risk of recurrent VTE (fatal or nonfatal).

Burton said that continuing to see how rivaroxaban behaves in patients in the real world is very important to physicians.

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