Bristol-Myers Squibb reports positive Eliquis trial data

Bristol-Myers Squibb and partner Pfizer have reported positive trial data for Eliquis, their new treatment for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients.

The drug has been evaluated in an international study called Aristotle, taking place across 39 countries, in which its safety and efficacy was compared to warfarin among 18,201 patients with AF and at least one risk factor for stroke.

It was found that Eliquis was able to deliver statistically significant reductions in rates of stroke or systemic embolism, major bleeding and mortality, thus meeting its primary study goals.

Eliquis is yet to be approved for this specification in any territories, although it was recently accepted as a means of preventing venous thromboembolic events among surgery patients in Europe.

Dr Christopher Granger, professor of medicine at the Duke University Medical Center, said: "The risk for stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation is a major public health concern in an ageing population."

Earlier this month, Bristol-Myers Squibb made its new drug Yervoy – a groundbreaking therapy for melanoma – available in the UK.