Summary
Current anticoagulant therapies for the prevention and treatment of thromboembolic
disorders have many drawbacks: vitamin K antagonists interact with food and drugs
and require frequent laboratory monitoring, and heparins require parenteral administration.
Oral rivaroxaban (BAY 597939) is a new, highly selective and potent direct factor-Xa
(FXa) inhibitor with a predictable pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profile and
could therefore be an attractive antithrombotic drug. It was the objective of this
study to investigate the antithrombotic efficacy of oral rivaroxaban in two rabbit
models of experimental venous thrombosis. In the venous stasis (prevention) model,
animals were randomized to receive oral rivaroxaban 0.3, 1.0, 3.0 or 10.0 mg/kg or
vehicle control. Thrombosis was induced by jugular vein stasis and injection of thromboplastin
into the ear vein. In the venous thrombosis (treatment) model, intravenous (1.0 and
3.0 mg/kg) and oral (3.0 mg/kg) rivaroxaban was compared with intravenous nadroparin
(40 U bolus and 20 U/h), fon-daparinux (42 Mg/kg) and vehicle control. Thrombus growth
was assessed by measuring the accretion of radiolabeled fibrinogen into preformed
clots in the jugular veins. Bleeding was assessed using an ear bleeding model. In
the prevention model, rivaroxaban reduced thrombus formation dose-dependently (calculated
ED50 1.3 mg/kg). In the treatment model, oral rivaroxaban (3.0 mg/kg) reduced thrombus
growth to a similar extent to intravenous rivaroxaban (1.0 mg/kg), nadroparin and
fondapari-nux. Oral rivaroxaban did not prolong bleeding time. In conclusion, the
orally available selective, direct FXa inhibitor rivaroxaban is effective in the prevention
and treatment of venous thrombosis in two well-established models of experimental
thrombosis.
Keywords
Factor Xa inhibitor - venous thrombosis - prophylaxis - rivar-oxaban - oral anticoagulant