The newer blood thinner Eliquis can prevent blood clots, but patients should know there is no Eliquis reversal agent.

Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer manufacture Eliquis, generically known as apixaban.

They have marketed the new drug as superior to an older blood thinner warfarin because Eliquis is touted as a once daily oral medication that does not need patient monitoring like warfarin does.

In the case of emergency, warfarin can have its anticoagulant effects reversed by introducing vitamin K.

In the event of surgery or an accident, there is no Eliquis reversal agent, which means the likelihood of bleeding out is much higher.

Dr. Curt Furberg, a medical advisor to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the healthcare community and the public about medication safety, says that the new blood thinners such as Eliquis have a wide variation of clot-preventing effects, depending upon the patient.

Research shows that while a certain dose of Eliquis might work well for some patients, that same dose might be too low to effectively stop a blood clot from forming in other patients.

Even worse, that identical dose could lead to an Eliquis fatal bleeding episode in yet another patient.

Eliquis Stumbled Through FDA Approval

An Eliquis clinical trial known as ARISTOTLE (Apixaban for Reduction in Stroke and Other Thrombotic Events in Atrial Fibrillation) was widely criticized.

There were accusations of alleged cover-ups, unreported serious adverse events (including one death), and patients who received the wrong medication.

The FDA said that the drug’s clinical trial issues showed problems that demonstrated a “pattern of inadequate trial conduct and oversight.”

The FDA faulted the study for containing inaccurate data, and even pointed out that data in the English version did not match the data presented in the Chinese translation.

In December 2012, the FDA approved Eliquis after deciding that various other clinical trial results adequately showed the drug’s effectiveness.

Eliquis Fatal Bleeding Issues

Because there is no Eliquis reversal agent, a patient who takes Eliquis and starts to experience uncontrollable bleeding can receive little help from a doctor.

The Eliquis website states, “bleeding can be more serious and rarely may lead to death.”

If you take certain other medications, the risk of bleeding increases. Taking aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), warfarin, heparin, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin norepinephrine uptake inhibitors (SNRIs) can increase the chances of dangerous bleeding.

Why There Is No Eliquis Reversal Agent

Eliquis works a lot like other new blood thinners Xarelto and Pradaxa. All of these new drugs interfere with the blood-clotting process. Eliquis and Xarelto block the Factor Xa enzyme during the coagulation process, which prevents protein thrombin from forming.

Pradaxa, which blocks the formation of thrombin to begin with, now has a reversal agent known as Praxbind.

Neither Xarelto nor Eliquis have reversal agents that exist.

If you or someone you know has taken Eliquis and suffered bleeding side effects, you could benefit from a class action lawsuit against the drug’s manufacturers.