The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a medicine, Xarelto to decrease the possibility of blood clotting, pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after knee or hip surgery for replacement.

Xarelto

Xarelto is a medicine taken daily by the patients who are undergoing a knee replacement for 12 days and patients undergoing a hip replacement surgery should take Xarelto for 35 days.

As for the effectiveness and safety of Xarelto, it was well evaluated in patients undergoing patients undergoing knee replacement surgery and hip replacement surgery. The studies were designed to discover the occurrence of venous thromboembolic events (VTE), DVT, PE or death in patients treated

“Xarelto represents a new oral treatment option to help prevent blood clotting in patients receiving a hip or knee replacement. Xarelto was reviewed by the Division of Hematology Products within the Office of Oncology Drug Products.” said Richard Pazdur, M.D., director of the Office of Oncology Drug Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Xarelto Studies

In the studies more than 6,000 patients undergoing hip or knee replacement surgery received Xarelto. In this study of hip replacement patients, 2.0 percent of those treated with Xarelto had VTE compared with 8.4 percent of those who received enoxaparin. And patients undergoing knee replacement surgery, 9.7 percent of those treated with Xarelto had VTE compared with 18.8 percent of patients who received enoxaparin. In a study involving hip replacement surgery, 1.1 percent of patients who received Xarelto had VTE compared with 3.9 percent of those who received enoxaparin.

Xarelto side effects

As every medicine have side effects Xarelto have the most common side effect observed in patients treated with Xarelto was bleeding.. Xarelto is marketed in the U.S. by Raritan, N.J.- based Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a member of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.