Application
Rivaroxaban is used to prevent blood clots from forming due to a certain irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) or after hip or knee replacement surgery. It is also used to treat blood clots (such as in deep vein thrombosis-DVT or pulmonary embolus-PE) and to prevent the blood clots from forming again.
General Description
Rivaroxaban, sold under the brand name Xarelto, among others, is an oral anticoagulant medication (blood thinner). It is commonly used to prevent blood clots. It was initially developed by Bayer. In the United States, it is marketed by Janssen Pharmaceutica (a part of Johnson & Johnson). It is the first available active direct factor Xa inhibitor which is taken by mouth. The maximum inhibition of factor Xa occurs four hours after a dose. The effects last approximately 8–12 hours, but factor Xa activity does not return to normal within 24 hours, so once-daily dosing is possible.