Xarelto Receives FDA Approval

Xarelto the new potential blockbuster by Zytiga manufaturers Johnson & Johnson has received FDA approval for treating variuos types of heart disease and cardiovascular disorders. These include treatment and prohylaxis of AtrialFibrillation, Stroke, and Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). Xarelto is the trade name of the powerful anticoagulant agent Rivaroxaban which is an inhibitor of blood clotting factor X alpha. It has powerful anticoagulant effects and prevents blood clots from forming. It is effective at a very low dose of only 10 mg daily taken orally so it is a very convenient and effective means for preventing conditions where blood clots cause problems such as stroke and deep vein thrombosis.

Johnson & Johnson really are on to two winners here producing both Zytiga and Xarelto. It may be that some people need to take both Zytiga and Xarelto together for example patients with advanced metastatic prostate cancer that are also suffering form atrial fibrillation or are at risk of stroke. So these medications may well be used in the same patient populations and these 2 drugs should work well together. The best timing would be to take the Zytiga dose first thing in the morning with 5 mg prednsione, and then 4 hours later to take 10 mg of the Xarelto and the other 5 mg of prednisone. This way there will be minimal pharmacological reactions between the 2 drugs. Both drugs are cleared from the body by the enzyme CYP3A4 and so will compete for this enzyme which will extend the half lives of both these compounds. By offsetting the dosing schedule the competition for CYP3A4 will be reduced and both drugs metabolised safely.