Competition in the venous thromboembolism market

Bayer Schering/Johnson & Johnson's rivaroxaban will overtake GlaxoSmithKline's Arixtra (fondaparinux sodium) as the clinical gold standard for the prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism by 2010, according to a new report, entitled Emerging Oral Anticoagulants Will Challenge Heparin Dominance: A Venous Thromboembolism Study, from research and advisory firm Decision Resources. Rivaroxaban (formerly BAY 59-7939) will feature improvements in safety and delivery over Arixtra that will make it the gold standard for treatment, it says.

Currently available anticoagulants, including heparin, have several shortcomings, such as a narrow therapeutic window that requires close monitoring and an unpredictable dose response, including serious side effects such as hemorrhaging and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, notes the report. Rivaroxaban is orally administered, has a decreased need for monitoring, and its risk for thrombocytopenia is far less than that posed by Arixtra. Also, it scores more favorably than the emerging competitor - Boehringer Ingelheim's Rendix (dabigatran etexilate) - because of its once-daily dosing, according to the report

"Rivaroxaban will feature improvements in safety and delivery over Arixtra. These areas are important enough to prescribers to make rivaroxaban the gold standard in our model," said Muneer Ahmad, an analyst at Decision Resources. "Eli Lilly's LY-517717 is predicted to be launched in 2013 and the product appears to have efficacy comparable to benchmark therapies and a safety that is superior to that of rivaroxaban with respect to major and minor bleeding events. LY-517717's once-daily dosing is also a key differentiator in a potentially crowded market," Dr Ahmad added.