Meta-Analysis of Reversal Agents for Severe Bleeding Associated With Direct Oral Anticoagulants.

BACKGROUND: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have shown a positive benefit-risk balance in both clinical trials and real-world data, but approximately 2% to 3.5% of patients experience major bleeding annually. Many of these patients require hospitalization, and the administration of reversal agents may be required to control bleeding. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate clinical outcomes associated with the use of 4-factor prothrombin complex concentrates, idarucizumab, or andexanet for reversal of severe DOAC-associated bleeding. METHODS: The investigators systematically searched for studies of reversal agents for the treatment of severe bleeding associated with DOAC. Mortality rates, thromboembolic events, and hemostatic efficacy were meta-analyzed using a random effects model. RESULTS: The investigators evaluated 60 studies in 4,735 patients with severe DOAC-related bleeding who were treated with 4-factor prothrombin complex concentrates (n = 2,688), idarucizumab (n = 1,111), or andexanet (n = 936). The mortality rate was 17.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 15.1% to 20.4%), and it was higher in patients with intracranial bleedings (20.2%) than in patients with extracranial hemorrhages (15.4%). The thromboembolism rate was 4.6% (95% CI: 3.3% to 6.0%), being particularly high with andexanet (10.7%; 95% CI: 6.5% to 15.7%). The effective hemostasis rate was 78.5% (95% CI: 75.1% to 81.8%) and was similar regardless of the reversal agent considered. The rebleeding rate was 13.2% (95% CI: 5.5% to 23.1%) and 78% of rebleeds occurred after resumption of anticoagulation. The risk of death was markedly and significantly associated with failure to achieve effective hemostasis (relative risk: 3.63; 95% CI: 2.56 to 5.16). The results were robust regardless of the type of study or the hemostatic scale used. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of death after severe DOAC-related bleeding remains significant despite a high rate of effective hemostasis with reversal agents. Failure to achieve effective hemostasis strongly correlated with a fatal outcome. Thromboembolism rates are particularly high with andexanet. Comparative clinical trials are needed.

Direct-acting oral anticoagulants: pharmacology, indications, management, and future perspectives.

In recent years, several direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOAC) have become available for use in Europe and other regions in indications related to prophylaxis and treatment of venous and arterial thromboembolism. They include the oral direct thrombin inhibitor dabigatran etexilate (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim) and the oral direct FXa inhibitors rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Bayer HealthCare), apixaban (Eliquis, Bristol-Myers Squibb), and edoxaban (Lixiana/Savaysa, Daiichi-Sankyo). The new compounds have a predictable dose response and few drug-drug interactions (unlike vitamin k antagonists), and they do not require parenteral administration (unlike heparins). However, they accumulate in patients with renal impairment, lack widely available monitoring tests for measuring its anticoagulant activity, and no specific antidotes for neutralization in case of overdose and/or severe bleeding are currently available. In this review, we describe the pharmacology of the DOAC, the efficacy, and safety data from pivotal studies that support their currently approved indications and discuss the postmarketing experience available. We also summarize practical recommendations to ensure an appropriate use of the DOAC according to existing data. Finally, we discuss relevant ongoing studies and future perspectives.

Bioequivalence between generic tacrolimus products marketed in Spain by adjusted indirect comparison.

PURPOSE: The objective of the study was to investigate the relative bioavailability between the generic tacrolimus products that are presently authorized in Spain by adjusted indirect comparison. This was based on demonstration of bioequivalence with the reference product (Prograf, Astellas Pharma), which makes these generic tacrolimus products prescribable, switchable and therapeutically equivalent to the reference product; yet, according to Spanish legislation, only prescribers can switch tacrolimus-containing products. METHODS: Data from independent bioequivalence studies that compare each generic product with the reference product were combined by adjusted indirect comparisons to investigate the relative bioavailability between generic drug products, since there is no direct bioequivalence study comparing generics to each other. RESULTS: Eight generic tacrolimus products in the form of capsules are presently authorized in Spain, but only five are marketed. These eight products represent only three different generic product developments. One product is authorized with four different names/companies, while another is authorized under three different names/companies. The adjusted indirect comparisons between generic products show bioequivalence within the conventional 80-125 % confidence interval acceptance criteria for area under the curve (AUC) and maximum concentration (Cmax). CONCLUSION: Not only are the generic products bioequivalent with the reference product, but also with each other.

Investigation on the need of multiple dose bioequivalence studies for prolonged-release generic products.

In the European Union multiple dose bioequivalence studies are required for the approval of generic prolonged-release products, but they are not required by the US-FDA. In order to investigate if the multiple dose bioequivalence studies are necessary, the bioequivalence studies assessed in the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Care Products in the last 10 years were searched to find all reasons for rejection and identify those cases where the multiple dose study had failed to show bioequivalence and the single dose study had shown bioequivalence. In these latter cases, the plasma concentration at the end of the dosing interval (C(τ)) in the single dose study was assessed to investigate its sensitivity to predict non-bioequivalence in the steady state. The search identified six cases where the non-equivalence in the multiple dose study was not detected by the corresponding single dose study. C(τ) was not able to detect the difference in five cases and in general it was more variable than conventional metrics. In conclusion, the multiple dose bioequivalence study is necessary to ensure therapeutic equivalence and the use of C(τ) would be counterproductive, increasing the sample size of the studies without enough sensitivity to detect differences in the steady state.

Discovery of anticoagulant drugs: a historical perspective.

The history of the traditional anticoagulants is marked by both perseverance and serendipity. The anticoagulant effect of heparin was discovered by McLean in 1915, while he was searching for a procoagulant in dog liver. Link identified dicumarol from spoiled sweet clover hay in 1939 as the causal agent of the sweet clover disease, a hemorrhagic disorder in cattle. Hirudin extracts from the medicinal leech were first used for parenteral anticoagulation in the clinic in 1909, but their use was limited due to adverse effects and difficulties in achieving highly purified extracts. Heparins and coumarins (i.e.: warfarin, phenprocoumon, acenocoumarol) have been the mainstay of anticoagulant therapy for more than 60 years. Over the past decades, the drug discovery paradigm has shifted toward rational design following a target-based approach, in which specific proteins, or "targets", are chosen on current understandings of pathophysiology, small molecules that inhibit the target's activity may be identified by high-throughput screening and, in selected cases, these new molecules can be developed further as drugs. Despite the application of rational design, serendipity has still played a significant role in some of the new discoveries. This review will focus on the discovery of the main anticoagulant drugs in current clinical use, like unfractionated heparin, low-molecular-weight heparins, fondaparinux, coumarins (i.e.: warfarin, acenocoumarol, phenprocoumon), parenteral direct thrombin inhibitors (DTIs) (i.e.: argatroban, recombinant hirudins, bivalirudin), oral DTIs (i.e.: dabigatran) and oral direct factor Xa inhibitors (i.e.: rivaroxaban, apixaban).