Eliquis is one of several new drugs on the market aimed at replacing the traditional staple blood thinner, Coumadin, also known as warfarin.

Many patients who have taken Coumadin for a long time are reassessing their choice given the new options, and those who are just starting out with a blood thinner are also weighing the pros and cons of these drugs.

Blood thinners like Eliquis and Coumadin are used to prevent blood clotting and the injuries linked with clotting, such as pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis.

There are a few major differences between Eliquis and Coumadin, and they are serious enough that patients should take them into account before choosing their blood thinning drug.

Eliquis and Coumadin Background

Coumadin, also known by its generic name, warfarin, was approved as a blood thinner back in 1954, and for decades since has remained the go-to anticoagulant across the country. Coumadin requires frequent and consistent blood monitoring from its patients to ensure doses remain exactly where they need to be.

There are risks when using any anticoagulant, namely that preventing blood clots from forming and from entering the heart and lungs also prevents blood clots from forming in the event of a major bleed, such as during an emergency surgery or a car accident.

Fortunately, Coumadin has an available antidote made to reverse the effects and allow blood to clot once again in these emergency situations, preventing a patient from unnecessarily bleeding out because of the anticoagulant in their system.

Eliquis, by contrast, is a much newer drug, and was approved as a blood thinner in 2012. Eliquis is one of several new anticoagulants known as Factor Xa Inhibitors, a class of drugs which also includes the popular drugs Pradaxa and Xarelto.

A major selling point for Eliquis is that, while it is much more expensive than Coumadin, it does not require the frequent blood monitoring that the traditional blood thinner does.

Though Eliquis and other Factor Xa Inhibitors were set to replace Coumadin, and indeed have become quite popular in the few years since they were first made available as an anticoagulant option, Eliquis has a couple of serious drawbacks.

Eliquis side effects are no more dangerous than those of Coumadin—except the precautions Coumadin has had years to put in place to prevent major injuries from complications.

For instance, Coumadin requires frequent blood monitoring to safety and efficacy of the drug’s dosage in a patient’s system, while Eliquis does not.

More importantly, while Coumadin has an available reversal agent to be used in case of bleeding emergencies that would allow life-saving blood clots, Eliquis has no such antidote.

Eliquis Bleeding Lawsuits

A number of injured patients and their families are filing lawsuits over serious Eliquis bleeding problems.

Lawsuits allege that the drug manufacturer knew about these Eliquis bleeding problems and yet failed to warn the public and the medical community about these risks.

Additionally, lawsuits claim that Bristol-Myers Squibb not only failed to warn about the risks, but even actively misled the public about the safety and efficacy of Eliquis.

Though filing an Eliquis lawsuit cannot undo the damage of an Eliquis bleeding or other serious side effects, or bring a loved one back to life, it may be able to help compensate for financial expenses incurred by medical bills or lost wages.

If you or someone you know has taken Eliquis or a similar medication and has since suffered from major Eliquis dangerous side effects, you may be able to file an Eliquis lawsuit.