Daiichi Sankyo launches Lixiana in UK

Daiichi Sankyo has announced the UK launch of Lixiana, a new blood-thinning drug therapy to help prevent stroke in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

Also known as edoxaban, the novel oral anticoagulant is also indicated as a means of protecting patients from recurrences of venous thromboembolism. The product was approved by the European Commission last month.

In the ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 and Hokusai-VTE clinical studies, Lixiana has been shown to combine proven effectiveness and a significantly better bleeding profile than well-managed warfarin.

Dr Alexander Cohen, consultant vascular physician from Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals at King's College London, said: "Venous thromboembolism has a high rate of recurrence, which can be fatal. We need more tools to protect patients from a second incident and edoxaban will be of great use to help tailor treatments to specific patients."

Coinciding with the launch, Daiichi Sankyo has published the findings of a survey of 200 atrial fibrillation patients from across the UK, finding that 68 percent of patients experienced symptoms before their first consultation with a doctor, with the average delay before seeking medical help being two years.