Bayer Anti-clotting Drug Wins FDA Approval

Bayer Healthcare's anti-clotting drug Xarelto has won FDA approval to treat stroke in people with an abnormal heart rhythm.

The US FDA has approved Bayer Healthcare's anti-clotting drug Xarelto (rivaroxaban) to reduce the risk of a stroke in people with an abnormal heart rhythm (non-valvular atrial fibrillation).

In clinical trials, the drug, which was co-developed with Johnson & Johnson, was shown to be effective in patients who are at increased risk of stroke due to the presence of co-morbidities such as high blood pressure or diabetes.

In atrial fibrillation, the beating of the heart's two upper heart chambers (atria) is poorly coordinated. This leads to blood pooling in these chambers, resulting in blood clots, and if the flow of blood to a portion of the brain is blocked, a stroke can occur. The condition occurs in more than two million