For Prevention of Stroke, Surveyed Cardiologists and PCPs Expect to Prescribe Xarelto to Approximately One-Third of Newly-Diagnosed Atrial Fibrillatio...( However Most Surveyed MCOs Say They W...),Health

However, Most Surveyed MCOs Say They Will Not Provide Reimbursement for Xarelto if its Only Advantage in Stroke Prevention is Greater Convenience, According to a New Report from Decision Resources

WALTHAM, Mass., April 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, for prevention of stroke, surveyed cardiologists estimate they will prescribe Bayer/Johnson & Johnson's Xarelto to 36 percent of newly-diagnosed atrial fibrillation patients, while primary care physicians (PCPs) estimate they will prescribe Xarelto to 29 percent of newly-diagnosed atrial fibrillation patients. Additionally, surveyed PCPs indicate they will prescribe Boehringer Ingelheim's Pradaxa to 28 percent of newly-diagnosed atrial fibrillation patients.

The new Physician & Payer Forum report entitled Novel Anticoagulants for Venous Thromboembolism and Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation: Will Prescribers' and Payers' Attitudes Promote or Prevent a Shift Away From Warfarin and Heparins? finds that Xarelto is the most popular emerging antithrombotic therapy among surveyed clinicians. Despite the proven effectiveness and widespread use of vitamin K antagonists such as warfarin (Bristol-Myers Squibb's Coumadin) for stroke prevention and heparins for venous thromboembolism prevention (VTE), both drug classes have drawbacks in safety and/or drug delivery that compromise optimal anticoagulation.

"A multitude of new anticoagulants currently in late-stage development are seeking to overcome these problems and developers of these agents could capitalize on the commercial potential offered by the large patient populations with atrial fibrillation or nonsurgical inpatients at risk of VTE," said Decision Resources Director Nikhil Mehta, M.Eng. "However, existing anticoagulants are well established, and older versions of these drugs are in
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