Rivaroxaban linked to more bleeding compared with dabigatran in elderly patients with nonvalvular AF

Rivaroxaban is associated with significantly more intra- and extracranial bleeding than dabigatran in patients ages 75 and older with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF), according to a recent report published online in JAMA Internal Medicine . During the study period, rivaroxaban was used 2 to 3 times more often than dabigatran in AF patients in the United States. According to David J. Graham, MD, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, FDA, that may be “partly because of prescriber misperceptions about bleeding risks with dabigatran, arising from FDA receipt of a large number of post-marketing case reports following its approval.” That’s ironic, according to Graham, since “we [now find] substantially higher bleeding risks with the use of rivaroxaban than dabigatran.” Further analysis on the data can be found in the article from Family Practice News : http://www.mdedge.com/familypracticenews/article/115021/acquired-cardiovascular-disease/rivaroxaban-linked-more-bleeding.