The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved rivaroxaban to reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism after knee or hip replacement surgery.
Clinical studies evaluated the use of rivaroxaban in more than 6,000 patients. The studies found rivaroxaban to be more effective than enoxaparin at preventing venous thromboembolic events in both hip and knee replacement patients.
The FDA recommends that people undergoing knee replacement surgery take the medication for 12 days, 35 days for those undergoing hip replacement. The most common side effect was bleeding.
The drug was approved July 1. For more information, please visit the FDA website.