REVERSAL AGENT FOR ELIQUIS APPROVED BY FDA

Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that the FDA has approved the reversal agent ANDEXXA for Eliquis and Xarelto on May3. 2018, This is good news for those of us who are taking Eliquis or Xarelto.. Portola says that a supply of the Generation 1 of the product will be available in early June of this year. A broader commercial launch will be made in early 2019 upon FDA approval of its Generation 2 manufacturing process.
It is reassuring to all of us taking these anticoagulants to know that this product will be available in case of a life threatening or uncontrolled bleed.
A reversal agent for Pradaxa is already approved and in use.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/04/2018 05:26PM by JustMeToo.

That is good news!

I wonder how long until ER departments nationwide will have it in their pharmacies and will have trained their physicians in its use?

This reversal agent will also work with Savaysa as well as Eliquis and Xarelto.

Did you read about Andexxa doesn't sound as good a reversal agent as there is for Coumadin.

liz

No, Liz, I have not read about a comparison between Andexxa and a reversal agent for Coumadin. While many people are still taking Coumadin as an anticoagulant (and those with artificial heart valves have no other choice), more and more people are taking the newer anticoagulants....Pradaxa, Eliquis, Xarelto, and Savaysa....so this is good news for those of us who do. The newer anticoagulants are easier for people to manage without the necessary routine testing of the blood to keep the right level with coumadin....or with controlling their dietary intake. I know that some have no problem with coumadin and have taken it for a long time. While the newer anticoagulants are more expensive, they are more convenient and seem to work quite well. I feel certain that the FDA is confident that Andexxa is effective or it would not have been approved.

The "reversal agent" for Coumadin (warfarin) is simply Vitamin K. Warfarin is a vitamin K antagonist, so overwhelming it with vitamin K makes it ineffective. That's why it comes with dietary restrictions. Foods high in vitamin K (many greens) will lower a patient's INR out of the therapeutic range.

Andexxa is a "decoy protein" that causes the active element in Eliquis or Xarelto to bond to it rather than the patient's own blood. So it kind of acts as a "vacuum cleaner" sucking the medication out of your system.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/2018 08:25PM by wolfpack.

Thanks for the helpful information, Wolfpack. The more we understand about our medicines, the better we are equipped to make decisions about them...along with our doctors' recommendations as to what seems best for our individual case.