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Apixaban tied to lower VTE rate, higher bleeding risk in cancer
Carrier M et al. N Engl J Med. 2018 Dec 4. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1814468
Key clinical point: Apixaban lowered the rate of venous thromboembolism to 4.2% in patients with cancer, half the rate seen in similar patients given placebo.
Major finding: The number needed to treat to prevent 1 venous thromboembolism was 17.
Study details: A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized trial in 574 cancer patients.
Disclosures: The study was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Bristol-Myers Squibb–Pfizer Alliance. Thirteen authors declared honoraria, grants, or personal fees from the pharmaceutical industry unrelated to the study. Two declared grants from the study funders for the study; ten authors had no conflicts of interest to declare.
Carrier M et al. N Engl J Med. 2018 Dec 4. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1814468.