Heparins and vitamin K antagonists have been the cornerstones of anticoagulation therapy for several decades. While these compounds have proven to be effective at inhibiting the coagulation process, they have inherent limitations. This has spurred efforts to develop therapies that will overcome these drawbacks while matching the efficacy of the conventional anticoagulants. Significant advances have been made in the development of more specific treatments targeting factor Xa or thrombin and providing more predictable anticoagulant responses. They also offer the convenience of oral administration with fixed dose regimens not requiring routine monitoring which may have an impact on compliance. The factor Xa inhibitor rivaroxaban and the thrombin inhibitor dabigatran etexilate have become available for prevention of venous thromboembolism after elective hip and knee replacement surgery and registration of the factor Xa inhibitor apixaban is expected to occur soon. Furthermore, first clinical evidence has become available for all of these compounds in patients requiring long-term anticoagulation. It is to be expected that these results will lead to improvements in prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation and in treatment of venous thromboembolism.     «

Heparins and vitamin K antagonists have been the cornerstones of anticoagulation therapy for several decades. While these compounds have proven to be effective at inhibiting the coagulation process, they have inherent limitations. This has spurred efforts to develop therapies that will overcome these drawbacks while matching the efficacy of the conventional anticoagulants. Significant advances have been made in the development of more specific treatments targeting factor Xa or thrombin and provi...     »