Edoxaban versus Warfarin for the Treatment of Symptomatic Venous Thromboembolism

The anticoagulant edoxaban, an oral inhibitor of activated factor X, does not require monitoring. As initial treatment for acute venous thromboembolism, heparin–edoxaban was noninferior to heparin–warfarin and caused less bleeding. Venous thromboembolism is the third most common cardiovascular disease after myocardial infarction and stroke, affecting at least 700,000 persons annually in North America. 1 – 3 The standard treatment consists of low-molecular-weight heparin followed by vitamin K antagonists. 4 A number of studies have established that new oral anticoagulants with or without initial heparin therapy are effective alternatives. 5 – 8 Edoxaban is a direct inhibitor of activated factor X with a rapid onset of action. It is administered orally once daily and has proven antithrombotic efficacy. 9 – 11 The Hokusai-VTE study was a randomized, double-blind clinical trial that was conducted to evaluate edoxaban for the . . .