Medpedia

The anti-clotting drug Xarelto (rivaroxaban) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to prevent stroke in people with atrial fibrillation, a common form of irregular heartbeat. More than two million Americans have atrial fibrillation, in which the heart's two upper chambers beat irregularly, the FDA said in a news release. The condition can lead to the formation of a blood clot, which can travel to the brain and cause a stroke. The new drug was approved for cases in which the atrial fibrillation is unrelated to the performance of the heart's valves.