Extended-duration betrixaban showed a significant reduction in venous thromboembolism in the APEX trial (Acute Medically Ill VTE Prevention With Extended Duration Betrixaban Study).
Methods To assess the risk-benefit profile of anticoagulation regimens, a previously described bivariate method that does not assume a linear risk-benefit tradeoff and can accommodate different margins for efficacy and safety was performed to simultaneously assess efficacy (symptomatic VTE) and safety (major bleeding) on the basis of data from four randomized controlled trials of extended-duration (30-46 days) versus standard-duration (6-14 days) thromboprophylaxis among 28 227 patients (EXCLAIM, ADOPT, MAGELLAN and APEX trials).
APEX investigated the efficacy of extended-duration betrixaban versus standard-duration enoxaparin to prevent a composite of symptomatic deep-vein thrombosis (proximal or distal), nonfatal pulmonary embolism, or venous thromboembolism (VTE)-related death in acute medically ill patients (n = 7513).
In the APEX trial and substudies, extended-duration betrixaban was superior in efficacy to standard-duration enoxaparin in patients at high risk for VTE, including those with elevated D-dimer levels (≥2× upper limit of normal) and of older age (≥75 years).
Finally, in the "APEX" trial, there were no differences between betrixaban and enoxaparin in preventing VTE events in patients with elevated D-dimer levels (RR of 0.81; 95% CI 0.65-1.00; P = 0.054) and no differences in major bleeding events in all patients (RR of 1.19; 95% CI 0.67-2.12; P = 0.55).
The Phase 3 APEX study provided primary event (VTE, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and death; all-cause or VTE-related) and treatment complications data.
Estimation of Acutely Ill Medical Patients at Venous Thromboembolism Risk Eligible for Extended Thromboprophylaxis Using APEX Criteria in US Hospitals.
Extended-duration betrixaban versus shorter-duration enoxaparin for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in critically ill medical patients: an APEX trial substudy.