Dive Brief:
- An FDA panel has recommended the approval of Daiichi's factor Xa inhibitor, edoxaban, for use as an anticoagulant.
- If approved, edoxaban will become the third FDA-approved factor Xa inhibitor.
- Analysts predict that edoxaban may become the market leader in the new oral anticoagulant (NOAC) class.
Dive Insight:
The advent of NOACs in 2011 represented the first alternative to vitamin K antagonists. They provided doctors with a way to provide anticoagulation therapy without the need to constantly monitor patients.
A little more than three years later, edoxaban is poised to become a market leader—assuming it is approved by the FDA. According to analysts at Seeking Alpha, edoxaban could become the new standard of care by 2018, with annual sales of $3 billion.