Dive Brief:
- The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK recommends greater use of novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) for stroke prevention in people who have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AF).
- The agency says that using anticoagulants more aggressively and earlier could prevent 7,000 strokes and 2,000 premature deaths..
- Soon NICE will publish stroke prevention guidelines as part of an upcoming consensus statement. One guideline recommends that individuals with AF use anticoagulants instead of aspirin, because anticoagulants are more effective.
Dive Insight:
Once again, NICE is focusing on improving cardiovascular (CVD) outcomes by increasing the use of drugs intended to protect against CVD events. Last week, the agency recommended more aggressive use of statins, while this week the focus is on using novel anticoagulants to decrease the risk of stroke in individuals with AF.
The introduction of the NOACs, Xarelto (rivoroxaban) and Pradaxa (dabigatran), in the last several years has broadened treatment options beyond warfarin, which requires a great deal of oversight and frequent titration to achieve tight control.
In addition to consensus guidelines aimed at the clinical community, NICE is also piloting the Patient Decision Aid, which guides patients with respect to stroke prevention and includes a decision-making feature.