Warfarin Shown to be Less Effective Than Xarelto in Study

Johnson & Johnson's Warfarin, the gold standard anti-clotting drug has been shown to be less effective than Bayer's Xarelto in a new trial combating atrial fibrillation.

The trial, ROCKET AF included more than 14,000 individuals - the largest ever such trial - and showed a 21 percent reduction in the risk of stroke. The trial also highlighted a difference outlined in complicated bleeding , with Xarelto significantly better in intercranial haemorrhage, critical organ bleed and bleeding-related death.

According to Savant Ahmed, a London-based analyst for the Royal Bank of Scotland, Xarelto should take at least a third of the blood-thinning market for Warfarin replacements, following the approval of another rival drug called Pradaxa. Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate) was approved in Europe in 2008 for use as a clotbuster following orthopaedic surgery.

"If you look at the data, Pradaxa and Xarelto are just a lot better than warfarin," Leslie Iltgen, a Frankfurt-based analyst at Bankhaus Lampe KG, told Bloomberg in a telephone interview.

Xarelto and Pradaxa also allow patients to avoid repeat laboratory tests; warfarin needs repeated tests to ensure proper levels. Xarelto also offers superior efficacy and simplified dosing - one tablet a day.

"We have a drug you can take once a day, without monitoring, that is at least as good as warfarin and carries no additional risk," said Robert Califf, the study co-chairman and vice chancellor for clinical research at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. "The findings as we dive into the details of the data look better and better."

Bayer gained 2.09 euros, or 3.9 percent, to 56.13 euros at the 5:30 p.m. close of trading in Frankfurt, the biggest advance in more than three months. J&J climbed 47 cents, or less than 1 percent, to $64.14 at 4 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading.

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