Lixiana hits the mark in catheter ablation trial

Daiichi Sankyo’s Lixiana was a late entrant to the novel oral anticoagulant (NOAC) category, but the Japanese drugmaker hopes new data in atrial fibrillation (AFib) could accelerate its growth. The ELIMINATE-AF trial compared uninterrupted treatment with Factor Xa inhibitor Lixiana (edoxaban) to standard vitamin K antagonist (VKA) therapy in patients with AFib undergoing catheter ablation – a minimally invasive treatment for abnormal heart rhythms. The procedure is effective and widely used but is associated with a significant risk of clotting during and after the procedure, so patients receive systemic anticoagulation to prevent side effects. The main endpoint in the study was the time to first all-cause death, stroke, or major bleeding, and that outcome was seen in 0.3% of the Lixiana-treated group and 2.0% of patients on VKAs, a group which includes warfarin. The investigators concluded that there was no significant difference between the groups when it came to efficacy, while the safety assessment also supported the use of the NOAC with major bleeds seen in 2.5% of the Lixiana group and 1.5% of those on VKAs.