Medpedia

Adding the oral anticoagulant rivaroxaban (Xarelto) to standard therapy after a myocardial infarction or unstable angina significantly reduced the risk of death, researchers reported here. Patients randomized to 2.5 mg twice daily for 13 to 31 months were 34% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than patients in the placebo group (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.86 ) and 32% less likely to die from any cause (HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.53-0.87, P =0.002 for both), Jessica L. Mega, MD, MPH, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and colleagues, reported in a paper published online today by the New England Journal of Medicine.