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Good news on rivaroxaban from Bayer
Zoom imageThe illustration above shows the volume contour of the rivaroxaban molecule.
Based on the results of the EINSTEIN-DVT Phase III clinical trial, Bayer’s anticoagulant rivaroxaban is just as effective as the standard therapy for the treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). It also delivers a significantly improved net clinical benefit. Consequently, this innovative treatment has the potential to offer a better option for patients. Instead of the standard therapy comprising an initial injection of enoxaparin followed by vitamin K, patients can simply receive rivaroxaban in tablet form as a single-drug treatment.
“The results of this study confirm that the novel, more convenient treatment approach with rivaroxaban could replace the current standard therapy in the treatment of deep vein thrombosis,” said Dr. Kemal Malik, member of the Executive Committee of Bayer HealthCare and Chief Medical Officer.
Novel mechanism of action
Rivaroxaban is characterized by a novel mechanism of action. It targets the blood clotting process and inhibits the activity of the Factor Xa enzyme, which plays a key role in the formation of a thrombosis. Rivaroxaban is marketed under the brand name Xarelto® for the prevention of venous thromboembolism in adults following elective hip or knee replacement surgery, and it is the only new type of anticoagulant that has consistently demonstrated superior efficacy over enoxaparin for this indication.
Xarelto® is approved in more than 100 countries worldwide and has been successfully launched in more than 75 countries by Bayer HealthCare. Bayer believes this innovative drug has a peak annual sales potential of more than €2 billion. The extensive clinical trial program supporting rivaroxaban makes it the most-studied direct Factor Xa inhibitor in the world today. More than 65,000 patients are due to participate in the rivaroxaban clinical development program, which will evaluate the product’s potential for the prevention and treatment of a broad range of acute and chronic blood-clotting disorders, including stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation, secondary prevention of acute coronary syndrome, and prevention of venous thromboembolism in hospitalized, medically ill patients.
Awards for anticoagulant |
 Bayer researchers Dr. Frank Misselwitz, Dr. Dagmar
Kubitza and Dr. Elisabeth Perzborn (from left).The highly esteemed, independent Awards Committee of the Galien Foundation has honored Bayer’s Xarelto® with the Prix Galien International 2010 in the category Best Pharmaceutical Agent. Xarelto® had already won national Prix Galien awards in Belgium, France and Switzerland.
The Prix Galien recognizes outstanding achievements in improving health through the development of innovative therapies, and is regarded as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in pharmaceutical research. The Awards Committee of the Prix Galien International 2010 included several Nobel Prize laureates. The award ceremony took place at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. “We are very excited about the award and honored to receive recognition from this renowned Committee,” commented Bayer CEO Dr. Marijn Dekkers.
In a further honor last December, Bayer researchers Dr. Frank Misselwitz, Dr. Elisabeth Perzborn and Dr. Dagmar Kubitza received the German Future Prize awarded by the German President. They donated the €250,000 prize money for a new research award, and Bayer is doubling the prize fund to €500,000. The new research award is worth €30,000 and will be presented every two years by the Bayer Science & Education Foundation starting in 2011. |