European drug regulators said on Friday they were recommending Pfizer’s and Bristol Myers Squibb’s blood thinner Eliquis for the preventing clots from blocking blood vessels, Reuters reports. Pfizer has R&D operations in New London.
The drug, known generically as apixaban, is a rival to Bayer’s Xarelto in the race to bring potentially lucrative new anti-clotting drugs to market.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said that after considering a marketing authorization application for 210 days, its expert panel had recommended the drug be licensed for use in adult patients who have undergone elective hip or knee replacement surgery.
Recommendations by EMA’s Committee for Medicinal products for Human Use (CHMP) are normally swiftly endorsed by the European Commission.
