Eliquis, also known by the generic name apixaban, is a medication that decreases the blood’s ability to clot.

It’s used in persons with atrial fibrillation to reduce the risk of blood clot-related injuries like stroke.

It’s also used to treat and prevent pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, and to reduce the risk of clots forming in the veins of the legs following hip or knee replacement surgery.

Eliquis is one of the more recent drugs to join a new generation of anticoagulants that began to enter the market in 2010.

Before then, the go-to anticoagulant for decades was warfarin.

Warfarin has a few drawbacks that Eliquis and the other new anticoagulants were specifically developed to avoid.

Compared to warfarin, the new drugs offer a quicker onset and fewer interactions with food, and they don’t require the same continuous blood monitoring and dosage adjustment that warfarin does.

For manufacturers Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer, Eliquis has brought in a significant amount of sales.

In the third fiscal quarter of 2015, Bristol-Myers reported worldwide sales of Eliquis of $466 million. Some estimates predict annual sales of Eliquis could eventually reach as high as $8 billion.

But like all anticoagulants, Eliquis puts the patient at risk for excessive bleeding injuries that may be difficult to control.

According to the drug’s Medication Guide approved by the FDA, Eliquis excessive bleeding side effects can cause bleeding that can be severe and in rare cases fatal. Bleeding can also take longer than usual to stop as long as the patient is on Eliquis.

Patients are at an even greater risk for bleeding if they take Eliquis simultaneously with certain other medications that also increase their risk of bleeding. These medications include:

• Aspirin, or products that contain aspirin
• Long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• Warfarin sodium, which is also distributed under the names Coumadin or Jantoven
• Medications that contain heparin
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors
• Other medications used to treat or prevent blood clots

Waiting on a Remedy for Eliquis Excessive Bleeding Side Effects

Users of warfarin have relied on being able to use vitamin K as an antidote when major bleeding events occur.

However, when Eliquis was approved for U.S. sales at the end of 2012, there was no available antidote that could get its anticoagulant effect under control once excessive bleeding starts.

This lack of an antidote can complicate things if the patient suffers a major bleeding event, or if the patient suddenly needs emergency surgery.

For that reason, some doctors have avoided prescribing new anticoagulants like Eliquis.

It wasn’t until a few months ago that an antidote for Eliquis excessive bleeding side effects was submitted to the FDA for approval, which is expected to be finalized sometime in 2016.

Until that antidote is approved and made available, Eliquis users will continue to live with the risk of suffering Eliquis excessive bleeding side effects without the benefit of an effective antidote to get that bleeding under control.