Study: New Anticlotting Drug Beats Warfarin, Sep 08, 2011

"Aug. 29, 2011 (Paris) -- The experimental anticlotting pill Eliquis beat out the standard drug, warfarin, at preventing strokes in people with a heart condition that puts them at high risk of blood clots and stroke, researchers report.
The new drug, also known as apixaban, cut the risk of stroke by 21% compared with warfarin in people with atrial fibrillation (AF). It lowered the risk of dying by 11%.
The side effect of serious internal bleeding, the key safety concern of anticlotting medication, was reduced by 31% with Eliquis compared to warfarin.
Two other anticlotting pills in the race to find warfarin alternatives, Pradaxa and Xarelto, have also shown benefits over the older treatment in major studies. But Eliquis is the first to reduce all three measures of stroke, deaths, and bleeds."