Bleeding risk higher with rivaroxaban than dabigatran for stroke prevention, head-to-head trial shows.

Abstract

Patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation treated with rivaroxaban for stroke prevention were more likely to experience both intracranial haemorrhage and major extracranial bleeding than those treated with dabigatran, a head-to-head trial published in JAMA Internal Medicine has shown. Researchers analysed data on 118 891 patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, aged 65 or older, who had started treatment with dabigatran (150 mg, twice daily) or rivaroxaban (20 mg, once daily) between 4 November 2011 and 30 June 2014. A total of 52 240 patients treated with dabigatran and 66 651 patients treated with rivaroxaban contributed 15 524 and 20 199 person years of treatment, respectively.1 Primary outcomes were thromboembolic stroke, intracranial haemorrhage, major extracranial bleeding …