Edoxaban for the prevention of thromboembolic events after surgery

Without thromboprophylaxis, hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis following major orthopedic surgery occurs with an incidence of approximately 40-60%, which is why thromboprophylaxis has been standard of care in these cases for more than 20 years. Edoxaban (DU-176b; Lixiana) is a novel, once-daily, orally active antithrombotic agent that directly inhibits factor Xa activity in a potent and selective way. It was recently approved in Japan for the prevention of venous thromboembolism after total knee replacement, total hip replacement and hip fracture surgery. In phase III trials performed in patients eligible for total knee replacement or total hip replacement, edoxaban 30 mg demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in venous thromboembolic events compared with enoxaparin, with no difference between both treatments in the incidence of major bleeding events. Edoxaban is safe and well tolerated, with predictable pharmacokinetics (low intersubject variability and low protein binding), suggesting that coagulation monitoring may not be required.