Heart Health
Alternatives to warfarin may be safer, more effective for afib
Research we're watching
Over the past decade, drugs called direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have been slowly replacing warfarin (Coumadin) for preventing dangerous blood clots in people with certainconditions.
A new study suggests that for people with some types of valvular atrial fibrillation (afib) not involving mechanical heart valves, DOACs might be safer and more effective than warfarin. Warfarin works well for some people, but it requires frequent monitoring and interacts with many foods and other medications.
The study included more than 56,000 people with afib and a heart valve disorder. All were prescribed either warfarin or a DOAC — apixaban (Eliquis), dabigatran (Pradaxa), or rivaroxaban (Xarelto) — between January 2010 and June 2019. Compared with warfarin users, those who took DOACs were less likely to experience a stroke or a clot somewhere else in the body. DOAC users were also less likely to experience serious bleeding, a common side effect of anti-clotting drugs. The study was published March 29, 2021, in Annals of Internal Medicine.
About the Author
Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
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