Summary

Treatment with investigative apixaban, an oral factor Xa inhibitor, shows promise as add-on protection against recurrent ischemic cardiovascular events among acute coronary syndrome patients who already are on standard antiplatelet therapy, including aspirin and clopidogrel. But dose-dependent bleeding remains an unresolved problem. This article discusses the Phase 2, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized, Double-Blind, Parallel Arm, Dose-Ranging Study to Evaluate Safety and Efficacy of Apixaban in Patients with a Recent Acute Coronary Syndrome [APPRAISE-1; NCT00313300] trial.