Efficacy and safety of apixaban compared with warfarin for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation in East Asia

Abstract

Purpose: Perceived risk of bleeding is an obstacle to the use of oral anticoagulation in East Asia. The effectiveness and risk of bleeding with new oral anticoagulants in East Asian patients with AF is still unknown. Methods: ARISTOTLE included 18,201 patients randomized to apixaban 5 or 2.5 mg twice daily or warfarin. A total of 1993 patients were recruited from East Asia (majority from China, Japan and South Korea). We compared baseline characteristics and the efficacy and safety of apixaban and warfarin among patients recruited from East Asian countries compared with those recruited from other regions. Results: At baseline, patients recruited from East Asian countries were younger (69 vs 70, p