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Aims Finerenone reduces the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). We investigated the causes of mortality in the FIDELITY population. Methods and results The FIDELITY prespecified pooled data analysis from FIDELIO-DKD and FIGARO-DKD excluded patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. Outcomes included intention-to-treat and prespecified on-treatment analyses of the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Of 13 026 patients [mean age, 64.8 years; mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), 57.6 mL/min/1.73 m2], 99.8% were on renin–angiotensin system inhibitors. Finerenone reduced the incidence of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality vs. placebo (8.5% vs. 9.4% and 4.9% vs. 5.6%, respectively) and demonstrated significant on-treatment reductions [hazard ratio (HR), 0.82; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.70–0.96; P = 0.014 and HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.67–0.99; P = 0.040, respectively]. Cardiovascular-related mortality was most common, and finerenone lowered the incidence of sudden cardiac death vs. placebo [1.3% (incidence rate 0.44/100 patient-years) vs. 1.8% (0.58/100 patient-years), respectively; HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.57–0.996; P = 0.046]. The effects of finerenone on mortality were similar across all Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes risk groups. Event probability with finerenone at 4 years was consistent irrespective of baseline urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio, but seemingly more pronounced in patients with higher baseline eGFR. Conclusion In FIDELITY, finerenone significantly reduced the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality vs. placebo in patients with T2D across a broad spectrum of CKD stages while on treatment, as well as sudden cardiac death in the intention-to-treat population. Clinical trials registration FIDELIO-DKD and FIGARO-DKD are registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, numbers NCT02540993 and NCT02545049, respectively (funded by Bayer AG).

Background Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) reduce systolic blood pressure (SBP) and increase serum potassium concentration ([K+]). This indirect comparison investigated any differences in SBP-lowering and hyperkalemia risk between finerenone, a nonsteroidal MRA, and the steroidal MRA spironolactone ± a potassium binder. Methods In FIDELITY (a pooled analysis of FIDELIO-DKD and FIGARO-DKD), a subgroup of patients with treatment-resistant hypertension (TRH) and chronic kidney disease meeting eligibility criteria of the AMBER trial were identified (FIDELITY-TRH). The main outcomes were mean change in SBP, incidence of serum [K+] ≥5.5 mmol/L and hyperkalemia-associated treatment discontinuation. Results at ∼17 weeks were compared with 12 weeks from AMBER. Results In 624 FIDELITY-TRH patients and 295 AMBER patients, the least squares mean change in SBP (mmHg) from baseline was −7.1 for finerenone and −1.3 for placebo {between-group difference −5.74 [95% confidence interval (CI) −7.99 to −3.49], P Conclusions In patients with TRH and chronic kidney disease compared with spironolactone with or without patiromer, finerenone was associated with a lower SBP reduction and lower risk of hyperkalemia and treatment discontinuation. Trial Registration: AMBER (NCT03071263), FIDELIO-DKD (NCT02540993), FIGARO-DKD (NCT02545049)

OBJECTIVE Finerenone reduced the risk of kidney and cardiovascular events in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and type 2 diabetes in the FIDELIO-DKD (NCT02540993) and FIGARO-DKD (NCT02545049) phase 3 studies. Effects of finerenone on outcomes in patients taking sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) were evaluated in a prespecified pooled analysis of these studies. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Patients with type 2 diabetes and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) ≥30–≤5,000 mg/g and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥25 mL/min/1.73 m2 were randomized to finerenone or placebo; SGLT2is were permitted at any time. Outcomes included cardiovascular composite (cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure) and kidney composite end points (kidney failure, sustained ≥57% eGFR decline, or renal death), changes in UACR and eGFR, and safety outcomes. RESULTS Among 13,026 patients, 877 (6.7%) received an SGLT2i at baseline and 1,113 (8.5%) initiated one during the trial. For the cardiovascular composite, the hazard ratios (HRs) were 0.87 (95% CI 0.79–0.96) without SGLT2i and 0.67 (95% CI 0.42–1.07) with SGLT2i. For the kidney composite, the HRs were 0.80 (95% CI 0.69–0.92) without SGLT2i and 0.42 (95% CI 0.16–1.08) with SGLT2i. Baseline SGLT2i use did not affect risk reduction for the cardiovascular or kidney composites with finerenone (Pinteraction = 0.46 and 0.29, respectively); neither did SGLT2i use concomitant with study treatment. CONCLUSIONS Benefits of finerenone compared with placebo on cardiorenal outcomes in patients with CKD and type 2 diabetes were observed irrespective of SGLT2i use.

Contains fulltext : 251904.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy, including use of inhibitors of CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein (P-gp), is common in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) and is associated with increased bleeding. METHODS: In 8246 patients included in the EINSTEIN-VTE studies for acute VTE, we evaluated the effect of polypharmacy on bleeding and on the relative differences between rivaroxaban and enoxaparin/vitamin K antagonist (VKA). We assessed the incidence of clinically relevant bleeding (major and clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding) by number of comedications (none, 1-3, ≥4) at baseline, and by use of CYP3A4 and/or P-gp inhibitors. Interaction between rivaroxaban versus enoxaparin/VKA and comedication was assessed by Cox regression analysis with p(interaction) estimates. RESULTS: With increasing number of comedications, the incidence of clinically relevant bleeding rose from 5.7% to 13.3% in rivaroxaban recipients and from 9.1% to 11.1% in enoxaparin/VKA recipients. Whereas rivaroxaban was associated with a reduced bleeding risk compared with enoxaparin/VKA in patients without comedication (hazard ratio [HR] 0.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.4-0.9), the risk was similar in patients with ≥4 comedications (HR 1.2, 95% CI 0.97-1.5, p(interaction) .002). Use of CYP3A4 and/or P-gp inhibitors was associated with a doubled bleeding risk compared with no use, without a difference between rivaroxaban and enoxaparin/VKA. CONCLUSION: We conclude that fixed-dose rivaroxaban as compared with enoxaparin followed by dose-adjusted VKA is not associated with an increased bleeding risk in patients with VTE administered polypharmacy in general and CYP3A4 and/or P-gp inhibitors specifically. This implies that the observed increased bleeding risks with polypharmacy and use of CYP3A4 and/or P-gp inhibitors are likely explained by comorbidities and frailty, and not by pharmacokinetic interactions.

Background: The XALIA and XALIA-LEA prospective, noninterventional studies investigated the safety and effectiveness of rivaroxaban versus standard anticoagulation for venous thromboembolism (VTE) treatment in routine clinical practice across global regions. Objectives: This pooled analysis combined their data to determine the incidence of thromboembolic and bleeding events in both treatment groups and addressed specific bleeding patterns in a broad range of patients. Methods: Patients with objectively confirmed VTE and an indication for ≥3months’ anticoagulation treatment received rivaroxaban or standard anticoagulation (eg, initial treatment with heparin/fondaparinux, followed by a vitamin K antagonist [VKA]). Treatment choice, dose, management, and duration were at the physician’s discretion. Primary outcomes (major bleeding, recurrent VTE, and all-cause mortality) were compared between the two treatment groups. Propensity score stratification, and matching were used to reduce bias due to confounding variables. Results: Overall, 7129 patients were enrolled from 36 countries; 6445 and 2714 patients were included in the propensity score–stratified and –matched analyses, respectively. Major bleeding and incidences of recurrent VTE were similar between treatment groups; all-cause mortality was lower with rivaroxaban than with standard anticoagulation. The incidences of genitourinary bleeding were higher with rivaroxaban than with standard anticoagulation therapy (46 and 23 events in the matched analysis, respectively). VKA management in real-world practice was suboptimal. Conclusion: XALIA and XALIA-LEA show similar safety and effectiveness profiles of rivaroxaban and standard anticoagulation for VTE treatment in routine practice in many parts of the world. The observations are consistent with results from the phase III EINSTEIN randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE Finerenone reduced the risk of kidney and cardiovascular events in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and type 2 diabetes in the FIDELIO-DKD and FIGARO-DKD phase 3 studies. Effects of finerenone on outcomes in patients taking sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) were evaluated in a prespecified pooled analysis of these studies. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Patients with type 2 diabetes and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) ≥30 to ≤5,000 mg/g and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥25 mL/min/1.73 m2 were randomly assigned to finerenone or placebo; SGLT2is were permitted at any time. Outcomes included cardiovascular composite (cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure) and kidney composite (kidney failure, sustained ≥57% eGFR decline, or renal death) end points, changes in UACR and eGFR, and safety outcomes. RESULTS Among 13,026 patients, 877 (6.7%) received an SGLT2i at baseline and 1,113 (8.5%) initiated one during the trial. For the cardiovascular composite, the hazard ratios (HRs) were 0.87 (95% CI 0.79–0.96) without SGLT2i and 0.67 (95% CI 0.42–1.07) with SGLT2i. For the kidney composite, the HRs were 0.80 (95% CI 0.69–0.92) without SGLT2i and 0.42 (95% CI 0.16–1.08) with SGLT2i. Baseline SGLT2i use did not affect risk reduction for the cardiovascular or kidney composites with finerenone (Pinteraction = 0.46 and 0.29, respectively); neither did SGLT2i use concomitant with study treatment. CONCLUSIONS Benefits of finerenone compared with placebo on cardiorenal outcomes in patients with CKD and type 2 diabetes were observed irrespective of SGLT2i use.

Despite the standard of care, patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) progress to dialysis, are hospitalized for heart failure and die prematurely. Overactivation of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) causes inflammation and fibrosis that damages the kidney and heart. Finerenone, a nonsteroidal, selective MR antagonist, confers kidney and heart protection in both animal models and Phase II clinical studies; the effects on serum potassium and kidney function are minimal. Comprising the largest CKD outcomes program to date, FIDELIO-DKD (FInerenone in reducing kiDnEy faiLure and dIsease prOgression in Diabetic Kidney Disease) and FIGARO-DKD (FInerenone in reducinG cArdiovascular moRtality and mOrbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease) are Phase III trials investigating the efficacy and safety of finerenone on kidney failure and cardiovascular outcomes from early to advanced CKD in T2D. By including echocardiograms and biomarkers, they extend our understanding of pathophysiology; by including quality of life measurements, they provide patient-centered outcomes; and by including understudied yet high-risk cardiorenal subpopulations, they have the potential to widen the scope of therapy in T2D with CKD. Trial registration number: FIDELIO-DKD (NCT02540993) and FIGARO-DKD (NCT02545049). Sin financiación 4.531 JCR (2019) Q1, 6/24 Transplantation 1.857 SJR (2019) Q1, 170/2754 Medicine (miscellaneous) No data IDR 2019 UEM

Aims The complementary studies FIDELIO-DKD and FIGARO-DKD in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD) examined cardiovascular and kidney outcomes in different, overlapping stages of CKD. The purpose of the FIDELITY analysis was to perform an individual patient-level prespecified pooled efficacy and safety analysis across a broad spectrum of CKD to provide more robust estimates of safety and efficacy of finerenone compared with placebo. Methods and results For this prespecified analysis, two phase III, multicentre, double-blind trials involving patients with CKD and type 2 diabetes, randomized 1:1 to finerenone or placebo, were combined. Main time-to-event efficacy outcomes were a composite of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure, and a composite of kidney failure, a sustained ≥57% decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate from baseline over ≥4 weeks, or renal death. Among 13 026 patients with a median follow-up of 3.0 years (interquartile range 2.3–3.8 years), the composite cardiovascular outcome occurred in 825 (12.7%) patients receiving finerenone and 939 (14.4%) receiving placebo [hazard ratio (HR), 0.86; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.78–0.95; P = 0.0018]. The composite kidney outcome occurred in 360 (5.5%) patients receiving finerenone and 465 (7.1%) receiving placebo (HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.67–0.88; P = 0.0002). Overall safety outcomes were generally similar between treatment arms. Hyperkalaemia leading to permanent treatment discontinuation occurred more frequently in patients receiving finerenone (1.7%) than placebo (0.6%). Conclusion Finerenone reduced the risk of clinically important cardiovascular and kidney outcomes vs. placebo across the spectrum of CKD in patients with type 2 diabetes. Key Question Does finerenone, a novel selective, nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, added to maximum tolerated renin–angiotensin system inhibition reduce cardiovascular disease and kidney disease progression over a broad range of chronic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes? Key Finding In a prespecified, pooled individual-level analysis from two randomized trials, we found reductions both in cardiovascular events and kidney failure outcomes with finerenone. Because 40% of the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate of >60 mL/min/1.73m2 they were identified solely on the basis of albuminuria. Take Home Message Finerenone reduces the risk of clinical cardiovascular outcomes and kidney disease progression in a broad range of patients with chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes. Screening for albuminuria to identify at-risk patients among patients with type 2 diabetes facilitates reduction of both cardiovascular and kidney disease burden.

Background: The long-term risk for recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) during extended anticoagulation for a first unprovoked VTE is uncertain. Objectives: To determine the incidence of recurrent VTE during extended anticoagulation of up to 5years in patients with a first unprovoked VTE. Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane CENTRAL were searched to identify randomized trials and prospective cohort studies reporting recurrent VTE among patients with a first unprovoked VTE who were to receive anticoagulation for a minimum of six additional months after completing ≥3months of initial treatment. Unpublished data on number of recurrent VTE and person-years, obtained from authors of included studies, were used to calculate study-level incidence rate, and random-effects meta-analysis was used to pool results. Results: Twenty-six studies and 15603 patients were included in the analysis. During 11631 person-years of follow-up, the incidence of recurrent VTE and fatal pulmonary embolism per 100 person-years was 1.41 (95% CI, 1.03–1.84) and 0.09 (0.04–0.16), with 5-year cumulative incidences of 7.1% (3.0%–13.2%) and 1.2% (0.4%–4.6%), respectively. The incidence of recurrent VTE was 1.08 (95% CI, 0.77–1.44) with direct oral anticoagulants and 1.55 (1.01–2.20) with vitamin K antagonists. The case-fatality rate of recurrent VTE was 4.9% (95% CI, 2.2%–8.7%). Conclusions: In patients with a first unprovoked VTE, the long-term risk of recurrent VTE during extended anticoagulation is low but not negligible. Thus, clinicians and patients should be aware of this risk and take appropriate and timely action in case of suspicion of recurrent VTE. Estimates from this study can be used to advise patients on what to expect while receiving extended anticoagulation, and estimate the net clinical benefit of extended treatment to guide long-term management of unprovoked VTE. © 2021 International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

BACKGROUND The long-term risk for major bleeding in patients receiving extended (beyond the initial 3 to 6 months) anticoagulant therapy for a first unprovoked venous thromboembolism (VTE) is uncertain. PURPOSE To determine the incidence of major bleeding during extended anticoagulation of up to 5 years among patients with a first unprovoked VTE, overall, and in clinically important subgroups. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from inception to 23 July 2021. STUDY SELECTION Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective cohort studies reporting major bleeding among patients with a first unprovoked VTE who were to receive oral anticoagulation for a minimum of 6 additional months after completing at least 3 months of initial anticoagulant treatment. DATA EXTRACTION Two reviewers independently abstracted data and assessed study quality. Unpublished data required for analyses were obtained from authors of included studies. DATA SYNTHESIS Among the 14 RCTs and 13 cohort studies included in the analysis, 9982 patients received a vitamin K antagonist (VKA) and 7220 received a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC). The incidence of major bleeding per 100 person-years was 1.74 events (95% CI, 1.34 to 2.20 events) with VKAs and 1.12 events (CI, 0.72 to 1.62 events) with DOACs. The 5-year cumulative incidence of major bleeding with VKAs was 6.3% (CI, 3.6% to 10.0%). Among patients receiving either a VKA or a DOAC, the incidence of major bleeding was statistically significantly higher among those who were older than 65 years or had creatinine clearance less than 50 mL/min, a history of bleeding, concomitant use of antiplatelet therapy, or a hemoglobin level less than 100 g/L. The case-fatality rate of major bleeding was 8.3% (CI, 5.1% to 12.2%) with VKAs and 9.7% (CI, 3.2% to 19.2%) with DOACs. LIMITATION Data were insufficient to estimate incidence of major bleeding beyond 1 year of extended anticoagulation with DOACs. CONCLUSION In patients with a first unprovoked VTE, the long-term risks and consequences of anticoagulant-related major bleeding are considerable. This information will help inform patient prognosis and guide decision making about treatment duration for unprovoked VTE. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE Canadian Institutes of Health Research. (PROSPERO: CRD42019128597).

Introduction For treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), rivaroxaban is given in fixed doses without routine coagulation monitoring. Patients and methods To determine whether monitoring would enhance its benefit-risk profile, we examined whether peak and trough prothrombin time (PT) values measured in 3797 rivaroxaban-treated patients included in the EINSTEIN DVT and PE studies correlated with subsequent recurrent VTE and major bleeding. In addition, we examined the stability of PT values over time and the impact of clinical variables on PT values. Results The mean peak PT values at months 3 and 6 or 12 were 21.9 ± 5 and 21.7 ± 6.0 s, respectively, while the mean trough PT values at months 2 and 6 were 15.1 ± 5.1 and 15.3 ± 2.9 s, respectively. Although peak and through PT values were higher in females, and with older age, frailty, active cancer, low body weight, impaired renal function and use of moderate to strong inhibitors of CYP3A4 and/or P-glycoprotein, and were lower in patients taking strong CYP 3A4 inducers, the differences were small and results were overlapping. Neither peak nor trough PT values correlated with recurrent VTE or major bleeding. Conclusions PT monitoring is unlikely to improve the benefit-risk profile of rivaroxaban in patients with DVT or PE. The study was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as # NCT00440193 (EINSTEIN-DVT) and # NCT00439777 (EINSTEIN-PE).

For venous thromboembolism (VTE) treatment, patient satisfaction was shown to improve with rivaroxaban versus standard anticoagulation in the phase III EINSTEIN DVT and EINSTEIN PE trials. This substudy of the prospective, noninterventional XALIA study of rivaroxaban for deep-vein thrombosis treatment assessed if this was also observed in routine clinical practice. Patients enrolled in XALIA who received rivaroxaban or standard anticoagulation treatment were eligible for inclusion in this substudy. Treatment decisions were at the physician's discretion. Patients completed the 17-item Anti-Clot Treatment Scale (ACTS, comprising a 12-item Burdens subscale, a 3-item Benefits subscale and one global item per subscale) during follow-up. The propensity score-matched set (PMS) was used for the main analysis; the adjusted safety analysis (ASAF) set was used for confirmatory purposes. Analyses by follow-up visit and subgroup, including age, sex, and previous VTE, were also conducted. The PMS-ACTS analysis included 458 rivaroxaban-treated and 434 standard anticoagulation-treated patients. Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were generally similar across treatment arms. ACTS Burdens scores significantly improved with rivaroxaban versus standard anticoagulation (least-squares mean difference of 2.4 ± 0.4 points; p

Background The noninterventional XALIA study compared rivaroxaban with standard anticoagulation for deep vein thrombosis treatment. This substudy describes the demographics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of the patients with cancer. Methods Therapy type, dose, and duration were at the physician's discretion. The cohorts identified were rivaroxaban (rivaroxaban alone or after heparin or fondaparinux for ≤48 hours); early switchers (rivaroxaban after heparin or fondaparinux for >48 hours to 14 days and/or a vitamin K antagonist [VKA] for 1–14 days); standard anticoagulation (heparin or fondaparinux and a VKA); low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) alone; and miscellaneous (other heparins, fondaparinux alone, VKA alone). Primary outcomes were major bleeding, recurrent venous thromboembolism, and all-cause mortality. Results In XALIA, 587 patients (11.4% of the XALIA cohort) were with cancer: 146 (24.9%) rivaroxaban, 30 (5.1%) early switchers, 141 (24.0%) standard anticoagulation, 223 (38.0%) LMWH, and 47 (8.0%) miscellaneous. Patients with gastrointestinal or lung cancer more commonly received LMWH than rivaroxaban; the opposite occurred in patients with breast or genitourinary cancer. Rates of primary outcome in the rivaroxaban group were as follows: major bleeding, 1.4% (n = 2); recurrent venous thromboembolism, 3.4% (n = 5); and all-cause mortality, 4.8% (n = 7). Conclusion In XALIA, physicians treated cancer-associated thrombosis with various anticoagulant regimens, most commonly LMWH. In addition, the choice of anticoagulant varied with cancer type. In rivaroxaban-treated patients, rates for the primary outcomes were low, suggesting that patients administered rivaroxaban were a good prognosis group.

Introduction The non-interventional XALIA study compared the safety and effectiveness of rivaroxaban with standard anticoagulation for the treatment of venous thromboembolism in routine clinical practice. This substudy assessed the effect of treatment with rivaroxaban on healthcare resource use, hospital length of stay (LOS) and frequency of hospitalisation. Methods In XALIA, patients aged ≥18 years scheduled to receive ≥3 months of rivaroxaban or standard anticoagulation treatment for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) were eligible. Treatment decisions were at the physician's discretion. Healthcare resource use, including hospital admission for the index DVT and initial LOS, was documented. The main analyses in this substudy were conducted in a 1:1 propensity score-matched set (PMS) of patients, with adjustment for cancer at baseline. Results In the PMS analysis, 1124 rivaroxaban-treated patients and 1124 standard anticoagulation-treated patients were included. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups (mean age 60.8 years vs. 61.2 years, DVT only rates of 89.7% vs. 90.2% and cancer rates of 8.4% vs. 8.5%, respectively). Of these, 433/1124 (38.5%) rivaroxaban-treated patients and 438/1124 (39.0%) standard anticoagulation-treated patients were hospitalised. Index event LOS in the PMS analysis was a least-squares mean of 2.6 days shorter with rivaroxaban vs. standard anticoagulation (5.4 vs. 8.0 days; geometric means ratio = 0.67 [95% confidence interval 0.61–0.74, P Conclusions In XALIA, hospital LOS was shorter with rivaroxaban than with standard anticoagulation, consistent with the phase III study results. DVT treatment with rivaroxaban in routine clinical practice may reduce the cost per patient vs. standard anticoagulation.

Background Overall, 30 to 50% of lower-limb deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) cases are isolated distal DVT (IDDVT). The recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk is unclear, leaving uncertainty over optimal IDDVT treatment. We present data on patients with IDDVT and proximal DVT (PDVT) from the prospective, noninterventional XALIA study of rivaroxaban for acute and extended VTE treatment. Methods Patients aged ≥18 years scheduled to receive ≥3 months' anticoagulation with rivaroxaban or standard anticoagulation were eligible, with follow-up for ≥12 months. We describe baseline characteristics, management strategies, and incidence proportions of VTE recurrence, major bleeding, and all-cause mortality in patients with IDDVT or PDVT, with or without distal vein involvement. Findings Overall, 1,004 patients with IDDVT and 3,098 with PDVT were enrolled; 641 (63.8%) and 1,683 (54.3%) received rivaroxaban, respectively. Patients with IDDVT were younger and had lower incidences of renal impairment, cancer, and unprovoked VTE than those with PDVT. On-treatment recurrence incidences for IDDVT versus PDVT were 1.0 versus 2.4% (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.29–1.08), and incidences posttreatment cessation were 1.1 versus 2.1% (adjusted HR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.32–1.35), respectively. On-treatment major bleeding incidences were 0.9 versus 1.4% and mortality was 0.8 versus 2.2%, respectively. Median treatment duration in patients with IDDVT was shorter than in those with PDVT (102 vs. 192 days, respectively). Interpretation Patients with IDDVT had fewer comorbidities and were more frequently treated with rivaroxaban than those with PDVT. On-treatment and posttreatment recurrences were less frequent in patients with IDDVT. Trial registration number: NCT01619007.

Background Short-term anticoagulant treatment for acute DVT or pulmonary embolism (PE) effectively reduces the risk of recurrent disease during the first 6 to 12 months of therapy. Continued anticoagulation often is not instituted because of the perception among physicians that the risk of major bleeding will outweigh the risk of new venous thrombotic episodes. Methods The authors performed a benefit-risk analysis by using the randomized EINSTEIN-Extension trial, which compared continued rivaroxaban with placebo in 1,197 patients with symptomatic DVT or PE who had completed 6 to 12 months of anticoagulation and in whom physicians had equipoise with respect to the need for continued anticoagulation. One-year Kaplan-Meier rates and rate differences of recurrent VTE and major bleeding were calculated. Benefits and risks were assessed using rate differences scaled to a population size of 10,000 patients treated for 1 year. Results Recurrent VTE occurred in eight recipients of rivaroxaban and 42 patients receiving placebo. In a population of 10,000 patients treated for 1 year, rivaroxaban treatment would have resulted in 665 (95% CI, 246-1,084) fewer recurrent VTEs than would placebo (number needed to treat = 15). Major bleeding occurred in four (0.7%) and zero patients, respectively. Rivaroxaban treatment would have resulted in 68 (95% CI, 2-134) more major bleeding events than would placebo (number needed to harm = 147). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed early recurrent VTE reduction with rivaroxaban that continued to improve throughout treatment; major bleeding increased gradually, plateauing at approximately 100 days. Conclusions A clinically important benefit and a favorable benefit-risk profile of continued rivaroxaban anticoagulation was observed. Trial Registry ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT00439725 ; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov

SummaryIn addition to parenteral anticoagulants and vitamin K antagonists (standard AC), non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOAC) are increasingly being used for the acute and long-term treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).The international, prospective, non-interventional XALIA study compared the acute and long-term treatment of DVT with rivaroxaban or standard AC under routine clinical practice and confirmed the safety and efficacy of rivaroxaban demonstrated in Phase III studies: annual event rates for major bleeding, VTE and all-cause mortality were 1.2 %, 2.4 % and 0.8 % respectively, compared to 3.4 %, 3.9 %, and 6.2 % with standard AC.The XALIA-DE subgroup analysis examined whether the XALIA results were applicable to Germany. The 586 rivaroxaban patients were younger and fewer had active cancer than the 355 treated with standard AC. As in XALIA, the incidence of major bleeding (1.6 vs. 4.1/100 patient-years [PY]), recurrent VTE (1.9 vs. 4.7/100 PY) and all-cause mortality (1.6 vs. 6.8/100 PY) were lower under rivaroxaban than under standard AC. These rates indicate a favourable benefit-risk profile of rivaroxaban under the conditions of everyday practice.

Women receiving vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) require adequate contraception because of the potential for fetal complications. It is unknown if the use of hormonal therapy, especially those containing estrogens, is associated with recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) during anticoagulation. Despite the absence of data, World Health Organization guidelines state that use of estrogen-containing contraceptives confers an "unacceptable health risk" during established anticoagulation for VTE. We compared the incidences of recurrent VTE and abnormal uterine bleeding with and without concomitant hormonal therapy in women aged

Summary Venous thromboembolism (VTE)‐BLEED, a decision tool for predicting major bleeding during chronic anticoagulation for VTE has not yet been validated in practice‐based conditions. We calculated the prognostic indices of VTE‐BLEED for major bleeding after day 30 and day 90, as well as for recurrent VTE and all‐cause mortality, in 4457 patients enrolled in the international, prospective XALIA study. The median at‐risk time was 190 days (interquartile range 106–360). The crude hazard ratio (HR) for major bleeding after day 30 was 2·6 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1·3–5·2] and the treatment‐adjusted HR was 2·3 (95% CI 1·1–4·5) for VTE‐BLEED high (versus low) risk patients: the corresponding values for major bleeding after day 90 were 3·8 (95% CI 1·6–9·3) and 3·2 (95% CI 1·3–7·7), respectively. The predictive value of VTE‐BLEED was similar in selected patients with unprovoked VTE or those treated with rivaroxaban. High VTE‐BLEED score was associated with higher incidence of all‐cause mortality (treatment‐adjusted HR 11, 95% CI 4·8–23), but not evidently with recurrent VTE (treatment‐adjusted HR 1·5; 95% CI 0·85–2·7). These results confirm the predictive value of VTE‐BLEED in practice‐based data in patients treated with rivaroxaban or conventional anticoagulation, supporting the hypothesis that VTE‐BLEED may be useful for making management decisions on the duration of anticoagulant therapy.

Introduction The prospective, non-interventional XALIA study investigated the safety and effectiveness of rivaroxaban and standard anticoagulation for the treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). XALIA-LEA was conducted in regions not included in XALIA (Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific), and enrolled patients with isolated pulmonary embolism (PE). Materials and methods Adult patients with acute venous thromboembolism (VTE) indicated for ≥3 months' anticoagulant treatment were eligible; treatment strategies were at the physician's discretion. Patients receiving rivaroxaban or standard anticoagulation (unfractionated or low-molecular weight heparin/fondaparinux alone or overlapping with and followed by a vitamin K antagonist [VKA]) were included in the safety analysis. “Early switchers” to rivaroxaban (i.e. after receiving heparin/fondaparinux for >2–14 days and/or a VKA for 1–14 days) were not included in the safety analysis set. Results Of the 1972 eligible patients, 1285 received rivaroxaban, 402 received standard anticoagulation, and 285 were early switchers. Most patients who received rivaroxaban were appropriately selected, received the correct dosing schedule, reported few adverse effects. Outcomes were similar to previously published results, with rivaroxaban associated with a low rate of major bleeding (1.6%), recurrent VTE (1.4%) and all-cause mortality (2.3%). Including early switchers, relatively fewer patients with index isolated PE received rivaroxaban (14.4%) versus standard anticoagulation therapy (20.9%). Some regional variations and differences in outcomes by VTE subtype were apparent with standard anticoagulation treatment. Conclusion XALIA-LEA reaffirms the safety and effectiveness of rivaroxaban for VTE treatment for countries not included in XALIA.

Background Full- or lower-dose anticoagulant therapy or aspirin can be used for extended therapy in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE), but information on their relative benefit-risk profiles is limited. Methods Data from the EINSTEIN-CHOICE trial were used to compare the benefit-risk profiles of extended treatment with rivaroxaban (20 or 10 mg once daily) and aspirin (100 mg once daily) in VTE patients who had completed 6 to 12 months of anticoagulation therapy. One-year cumulative incidences of recurrent VTE and major bleeding were estimated and benefits and risks were calculated by determining the between group differences in a hypothetical population of 10,000 VTE patients treated for 1 year. Findings A total of 1107 patients were treated with 20 mg of rivaroxaban, 1127 with 10 mg of rivaroxaban, and 1131 with aspirin. The cumulative incidences of recurrent VTE in the rivaroxaban 20-mg, rivaroxaban 10-mg and aspirin groups were 1.9%, 1.6%, and 5.0%, respectively, whereas the cumulative incidences of major bleeding were 0.7%, 0.4% and 0.5%, respectively. The incidences of the combined outcome of recurrent VTE and major bleeding were 2.8% and 3.4% lower in the rivaroxaban 20-mg and 10-mg groups than in the aspirin group. For 10,000 patients treated for 1 year, there would be 284 (95% confidence interval [CI] 106 to 462) and 339 (95% CI 165 to 512) fewer events with rivaroxaban 20 mg or 10 mg than with aspirin. Interpretation Compared with aspirin, extended anticoagulation with once daily rivaroxaban reduces recurrent VTE with a favourable benefit-risk profile. Funding Bayer AG.

Introduction The conduct of structured benefit-risk assessment (BRA) of pharmaceutical products is a key area of interest for regulatory agencies and the pharmaceutical industry. However, the acceptance of a standardized approach and implementation are slow. Statisticians play major roles in these organizations, and have a great opportunity to be involved and drive the shaping of future BRA. Method We performed a literature search of recent reviews and initiatives assessing BRA methodologies, and grouped them to assist those new to BRA in learning, understanding, and choosing methodologies. We summarized the key points and discussed the impact of this emerging field on various stakeholders, particularly statisticians in the pharmaceutical industry. Results We provide introductory, essential, special interest, and further information and initiatives materials that direct readers to the most relevant materials, which were published between 2000 and 2013. Based on recommendations in these materials we supply a toolkit of advocated BRA methodologies. Discussion Despite initiatives promoting these methodologies, there are still barriers, one of which being the lack of a consensus on the most appropriate methodologies among stakeholders. However, this opens up opportunities, for statisticians in the pharmaceutical industry especially, to champion appropriate BRA methodology use throughout the pharmaceutical product lifecycle. Conclusions This article may serve as a starting point for discussions and to reach a mutual consensus for methodology selection in a particular situation. Regulators and pharmaceutical industry should continue to collaborate to develop and take forward BRA methodologies, and by clear communication develop a mutual understanding of the key issues. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

SummaryVitamin K antagonists (VKA) are used to prevent recurrent disease in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE). Their efficacy and safety depend on individual time in therapeutic range (iTTR) and variability of International Normalised Ratios (INR). We aimed to identify independent predictors of poor VKA control > 28 days. In a prospective cohort of 3825 VTE patients, separate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of low iTTR (first quartile) and instability (iTTR median). Subsequently, the association between these predictors and clinical outcomes was investigated. Weight < 50 kg (odds ratio [OR]=1.89; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.03–3.49), active cancer at baseline (OR=1.52; CI1.05–2.19), secondary VTE (OR=1.42; CI1.20–1.68), and INR < 2.0 at stop of double therapy (OR=1.35; CI1.09–1.67) were independent predictors of low iTTR. The first two were also predictive for instability (OR=1.96; CI1.06–3.63 and OR=1.95; CI1.36–2.80, respectively). ORs of early ( 28 days) low iTTR and instability depended on VKA type. In acenocoumarol users, early low iTTR was an independent predictor of subsequent low iTTR (OR=1.92; CI1.31–2.80) and instability (OR=1.55; CI1.07–2.23). In warfarin users, early low iTTR (OR=1.36; CI1.09–1.69) and instability (OR=1.25; CI1.01–1.55) were additionally predictive for low iTTR, but only the latter was predictive for instability (OR=1.91; CI1.57–2.32). Many predictors of VKA control also predicted premature discontinuation, but only region was prognostic for clinical outcome. In conclusion, we identified several independent predictors of low iTTR and instability > 28 days, which showed some similarities but did not fully overlap. Early VKA control was of additional value for prediction of both, but had to be interpreted in the context of VKA type.

Introduction XALIA assessed the safety and effectiveness of rivaroxaban for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) treatment in routine clinical practice. This substudy describes the clinical characteristics and outcomes of ‘early switchers’ – patients who received heparin or fondaparinux for > 2–14 days and/or a vitamin K antagonist (VKA) for 1–14 days before switching to rivaroxaban. Materials and methods Patients with DVT (latterly with concomitant pulmonary embolism) received rivaroxaban or standard anticoagulation (initial treatment with heparin or fondaparinux, usually overlapping with and followed by a VKA). Patients administered rivaroxaban alone, or heparin or fondaparinux for ≤ 48 h pre-enrollment were included in the rivaroxaban cohort. Therapy type, dose, and duration were at the physician's discretion. Primary outcomes were major bleeding, recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE), and all-cause mortality. Results In 368 early switchers, recurrence or bleeding risk factors were more prevalent versus the rivaroxaban cohort, including creatinine clearance

IMPORTANCE Combined anticoagulant and aspirin therapy is associated with increased bleeding risk in patients with atrial fibrillation, but the bleeding risk of combined use of anticoagulant and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is poorly documented.OBJECTIVE To estimate the bleeding risk of combined anticoagulant (rivaroxaban or enoxaparin-vitamin K antagonist [VKA]) and NSAID or aspirin therapy in patients with venous thromboembolism.DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Prospective analysis of observational data from the EINSTEIN deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism clinical trials comparing rivaroxaban with enoxaparin-VKA treatment, trials performed in hospitals and clinics in 8246 patients enrolled from 2007 to 2009.EXPOSURE Bleeding event rates during exposure to NSAID and aspirin therapy were compared to time without exposure.MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Days of NSAID or aspirin use and nonuse, clinically relevant bleeding event and major bleeding event rates by patient-years, and hazard ratios.RESULTS During NSAID-anticoagulant concomitant treatment, clinically relevant bleeding occurred with an event rate of 37.5 per 100 patient-years vs 16.6 per 100 patient-years during anticoagulant use only (hazard ratio [HR], 1.77 [95% CI, 1.46-2.14]). Major bleeding during NSAID-anticoagulant treatment occurred with an event rate of 6.5 per 100 patient-years, compared to 2.0 per 100 patient-years during nonuse (HR, 2.37 [95% CI, 1.51-3.75]). For aspirin-anticoagulant concomitant treatment, clinically relevant bleeding occurred with an event rate of 36.6 per 100 patient-years, compared to 16.9 per 100 patient-years during aspirin nonuse (HR, 1.70 [95% CI, 1.38-2.11]). Major bleeding in aspirin-anticoagulant-treated patients occurred with an event rate of 4.8 per 100 patient-years, compared to 2.2 per 100 patient-years during aspirin nonuse (HR, 1.50 [95% CI, 0.86-2.62]). Increases in risk for clinically relevant and major bleeding were similar for rivaroxaban and enoxaparin-VKA anticoagulation regimens.CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among patients with venous thromboembolism receiving anticoagulant therapy, concomitant use of an NSAID or aspirin is associated with an increased risk of clinically relevant and major bleeding.

Short-term anticoagulant treatment for acute DVT or pulmonary embolism (PE) effectively reduces the risk of recurrent disease during the first 6 to 12 months of therapy. Continued anticoagulation often is not instituted because of the perception among physicians that the risk of major bleeding will outweigh the risk of new venous thrombotic episodes.The authors performed a benefit-risk analysis by using the randomized EINSTEIN-Extension trial, which compared continued rivaroxaban with placebo in 1,197 patients with symptomatic DVT or PE who had completed 6 to 12 months of anticoagulation and in whom physicians had equipoise with respect to the need for continued anticoagulation. One-year Kaplan-Meier rates and rate differences of recurrent VTE and major bleeding were calculated. Benefits and risks were assessed using rate differences scaled to a population size of 10,000 patients treated for 1 year.Recurrent VTE occurred in eight recipients of rivaroxaban and 42 patients receiving placebo. In a population of 10,000 patients treated for 1 year, rivaroxaban treatment would have resulted in 665 (95% CI, 246-1,084) fewer recurrent VTEs than would placebo (number needed to treat = 15). Major bleeding occurred in four (0.7%) and zero patients, respectively. Rivaroxaban treatment would have resulted in 68 (95% CI, 2-134) more major bleeding events than would placebo (number needed to harm = 147). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed early recurrent VTE reduction with rivaroxaban that continued to improve throughout treatment; major bleeding increased gradually, plateauing at approximately 100 days.A clinically important benefit and a favorable benefit-risk profile of continued rivaroxaban anticoagulation was observed.ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT00439725; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov.

Objectives: To examine the risk of wood dust and chemical exposures for adenocarcinoma of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses (ADCN) among German wood workers. Methods: An industry-based case-control study with 86 male ADCN cases and 204 controls was conducted in the German wood-working industries. Cumulative and average wood-dust exposure was quantified with a job-exposure matrix based on wood-dust measurements at recent and historical workplaces. Probabilities of exposure to wood preservatives, stains, varnishes, and formaldehyde were semi-quantitatively rated. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confi¬dence intervals (CI) were calculated with logistic regression analysis conditional on age and adjusted for smoking and other factors. For estimating the risks of either wood dust or chemi¬cal additives, we additionally adjusted for the corresponding co-exposure. Results: ADCN occurred relatively more frequently among wood workers that had ever worked as cabinet makers or joiners (OR 2.96, 95% CI 1.46–6.01) than as saw millers (OR 0.15, 95% CI 0.03–0.68). Average exposure to inhalable wood dust ≥ 5 mg/m3 was associated with a high risk (OR 48.47, 95% CI 13.30-176.63) compared to levels below 3.5 mg/m3. Assuming 40 years of exposure under these concentrations, the corresponding OR was 4.20 (95% CI 1.69-10.43). Also exposure between 3.5 and 5 mg/m³ was found to pose a risk (OR 10.54, 95% CI 3.34 – 33.27). Exposure to pigment stains before 1970 was associated with an elevated risk (OR 3.03; 95% CI 1.11–8.26). No significant associations were estimated for wood preservatives, varnishes, and formaldehyde. Conclusions: We found an elevated ADCN risk for exposure to inhalable wood dust above 3.5 mg/m³. The rareness of the disease does not allow the exclusion of risk below that concentration. For pigment stains, there is evidence for an association of historical exposure with the development of ADCN in German wood workers.

Summary Background The efficacy and safety of the anticoagulant rivaroxaban for the treatment and secondary prevention of deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism has been shown in phase 3 trials. However, data about rivaroxaban use in routine clinical practice are needed. Methods XA inhibition with rivaroxaban for Long-term and Initial Anticoagulation in venous thromboembolism (XALIA) was a multicentre, international, prospective, non-interventional study of patients with deep-vein thrombosis, done in hospitals and community care centres in 21 countries. The study investigated the safety and effectiveness of rivaroxaban compared with standard anticoagulation therapy (initial treatment with unfractionated heparin, low-molecular-weight heparin, or fondaparinux, usually overlapping with and followed by a vitamin K antagonist) for at least 3 months. Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with an objectively confirmed diagnosis of deep-vein thrombosis, and an indication to receive anticoagulation treatment for at least 3 months. Following approval of rivaroxaban for the pulmonary embolism indication, patients with deep-vein thrombosis and concomitant pulmonary embolism were also eligible; however, those with isolated pulmonary embolism were not included. Type, dose, and duration of therapy for each patient were at the physician's discretion. The primary effectiveness and safety outcomes were major bleeding, recurrent venous thromboembolism, and all-cause mortality. Propensity score-adjusted analyses were done to account for potential imbalances between groups. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01619007. Findings Between June 26, 2012, and March 31, 2014, 5142 patients were enrolled. The safety population (all patients who received at least one dose of the anticoagulant of interest) comprised 2619 patients in the rivaroxaban group and 2149 in the standard anticoagulant therapy group. Patients in the rivaroxaban group were younger and fewer had active cancer or concomitant pulmonary embolism than those in the standard anticoagulation group. In the propensity score-adjusted population, the frequency of major bleeding was 0·8% (19/2505) in the rivaroxaban group and 2·1% (43/2010) in the standard anticoagulation group, with a propensity score-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 0·77 (95% CI 0·40–1·50); p=0·44. The frequency of recurrent venous thromboembolism was 1·4% (36/2505) in the rivaroxaban group and 2·3% (47/2010) in the standard anticoagulation group (propensity score-adjusted HR 0·91 [95% CI 0·54–1·54], p=0·72). The all-cause mortality frequency was 0·4% (11/2505) in the rivaroxaban group and 3·4% (69/2010) in the standard anticoagulation group (propensity score-adjusted HR 0·51 [95% CI 0·24–1·07], p=0·074). The incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events in the safety population was similar between the two groups (944 [36·0%] of 2619 in the rivaroxaban group vs 805 [37·5%] of 2149 in the standard anticoagulation group). Interpretation In routine clinical practice, rivaroxaban-treated patients had a lower risk profile at baseline than those treated with standard anticoagulation. Propensity score-adjusted results confirm that rivaroxaban is a safe and effective alternative to standard anticoagulation therapy in a broad range of patients. Rates of major bleeding and recurrent venous thromboembolism were low in rivaroxaban-treated patients and consistent with phase 3 findings. Funding Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals and Janssen Research & Development, LLC.

Background: Statins may reduce the risk of first and recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE). No data are available on their potential benefit in patients treated with the oral anticoagulant rivaroxaban. Methods: The EINSTEIN DVT/PE and EINSTEIN Extension studies compared rivaroxaban with standard of care (n=8280) and placebo (n=1188), respectively. The incidences of recurrent VTE and major bleeding per 100 patient-years for exposure (or not) to statins were calculated. A Cox proportional hazards model was constructed, stratified by index event and intended treatment duration, with statin use as a time-dependent variable, for each treatment group (rivaroxaban vs enoxaparin/vitamin K antagonist or placebo) and adjusted for relevant variables. Results: In EINSTEIN DVT/PE, 1509 (18.3%) patients used statins during the at-risk period, and 6731 (81.7%) did not. Overall, 2.6 recurrent VTEs occurred per 100 patient-years with statin use compared with 3.8 per 100 patient-years without statins (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.46–1.25). HRs for recurrent VTE were similar for concomitant use of rivaroxaban-statin and enoxaparin/VKA-sta tin. Major bleeding events occurred in 3.0 per 100 patient-years with statin use compared with 2.3 per 100 patient-years without statins (adjusted HR 0.77; 95% CI 0.46–1.29). Due to adjustments in the Cox regression model, the direction of this HR is in contrast to the crude comparison. In EINSTEIN Extension, no recurre nt VTEs occurred with statin use in the rivaroxaban group compared with 1.6 per 100 patient-years without statins. In the placebo group, 12.2 recurrent VTEs occurred per 100 patient-years with statin use compared with 13.2 per 100 patient-years without (adjusted HR 0.81; 95% CI 0.35–1.86). Conclusions: The effect of statins in this secondary analysis of the EINSTEIN VTE treatment program is consistent with other studies that suggest a reduced risk of recurrent VTE, but conclusive evidence of this benefit is lacking. Statins are simple to use, inexpensive, very safe and do not cause bleeding. Therefore, the potential effect on reducing recurrent VTE, which is in the range of that of acetylsalicylic acid, deserves evaluation in a large randomized trial. Trial registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov: EINSTEIN PE, NCT00439777; EINSTEIN DVT, NCT00440193; EINSTEIN Extension, NCT00439725.

Background: XALIA is a prospective, non-interventional study of rivaroxaban in the treatment of acute deep vein thrombosis. The overall XALIA results showed that rivaroxaban was associated with similarly low rates of major bleeding and symptomatic recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) as standard anticoagulation. A subset of patients in XALIA had active cancer at the time of enrolment into the study. Purpose: To describe the demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment strategies and outcomes of patients in XALIA with cancer and VTE. The primary outcomes were major bleeding, recurrent VTE and all-cause mortality. Methods: Patients with deep vein thrombosis with or without concomitant pulmonary embolism aged ≥18 years who had active cancer and were scheduled to receive ≥3 months of anticoagulation with rivaroxaban or standard therapy were eligible. Therapy type, dose and duration were at the physician's discretion. For the purpose of this substudy, we defined the following treatment cohorts: rivaroxaban cohort (patients treated with rivaroxaban alone or who received heparin/fondaparinux for ≤48 hours before switching to rivaroxaban); early switchers cohort (patients treated with rivaroxaban who received heparin/fondaparinux for >48 hours-14 days and/or a vitamin K antagonist [VKA] for 1-14 days before changing to rivaroxaban); standard anticoagulation cohort (patients treated with heparin/fondaparinux and a VKA or a VKA only); and heparin/fondaparinux cohort (patients treated with heparin/fondaparinux alone). Results: Of 5136 patients in XALIA who received study medication, 587 (11.4%) had active cancer at baseline. Of these, 146 (24.9%) received rivaroxaban, 30 (5.1%) were early switchers, 167 (28.4%) received standard anticoagulation (of which 26 [4.4%] received a VKA only) and 244 (41.6%) received heparin/fondaparinux only, of whom 223 (38.0%) received low molecular weight heparin and the remainder other heparins or fondaparinux. Demographics are shown in Table 1. The most common type of active cancer at baseline in all cohorts was genitourinary, with the exception of the heparin/fondaparinux cohort where gastrointestinal cancer was the most common type (Table 2). The incidence rates for the primary outcomes for each cohort are shown in Figure 1. The rates of major bleeding were highest in the standard anticoagulation cohort (n=8 [4.8%]) and lowest in the early switchers (no major bleeding events occurred). The rates of recurrent VTE were similar in the in the rivaroxaban, early switcher and standard anticoagulation cohorts (n=5 [3.4%], n=1 [3.3%] and n=6 [3.6%], respectively) and were highest in the heparin/fondaparinux cohort (n=12 [4.9%]). All-cause mortality was highest in the heparin/fondaparinux cohort (n=61 [25.0%]) and lowest in the early switchers (no deaths occurred). Conclusions: In the real-world XALIA study, 38.0% of patients with cancer received treatment with low molecular weight heparin, which was in line with guidelines. The remaining patients received rivaroxaban, standard anticoagulation or were early switchers. For the three primary outcomes, the lowest incidence rates were observed in the early switcher cohort. The highest rates were in the standard anticoagulation cohort for major bleeding and the heparin/fondaparinux cohort for recurrent VTE and all-cause mortality; rates for all three primary outcomes were low in the rivaroxaban cohort, suggesting that rivaroxaban may be a safe and effective treatment option for patients with VTE and active cancer. Figure 1 Primary outcomes in patients with active cancer at baseline by treatment group. VTE, venous thromboembolism. Figure 1. Primary outcomes in patients with active cancer at baseline by treatment group. / VTE, venous thromboembolism. Disclosures Turpie: Janssen Research & Development, LLC: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bayer Pharma AG: Consultancy, Honoraria. Mantovani:Janssen-Cilag Ltd: Research Funding; Boehringer Ingelheim: Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; Bayer Pharma AG: Consultancy; Pfizer Inc: Research Funding. Haas:Sanofi SA: Consultancy; Pfizer Inc: Consultancy; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy; Bayer Pharma AG: Consultancy; Aspen Pharmacare: Consultancy. Kreutz:Bayer Pharma AG: Honoraria; Servier Laboratories Ltd: Consultancy; Lundbeck Ltd: Consultancy; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; Berlin-Chemie Menarini: Consultancy; Bayer Pharma AG: Consultancy; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Daiichi Sankyo: Honoraria. Monje:Bayer Pharma AG: Employment. Schneider:Bayer Pharma AG: Employment. van Eickels:Bayer Pharma AG: Employment. Gebel:Bayer Pharma AG: Employment. Ageno:Boehringer Ingelheim: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bayer Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bayer Pharma AG: Consultancy, Honoraria.

Background Rivaroxaban is approved for the treatment and secondary prevention of acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). The aim of the XALIA study was to provide information on the safety and effectiveness of rivaroxaban in routine patient care in a heterogeneous non-selected venous thromboembolism (VTE) population. Methods XALIA is a multicenter, prospective, non-interventional study and included patients aged ≥18 years with objectively confirmed, acute DVT treated with oral rivaroxaban (the initial approved VTE treatment indication) or standard anticoagulation therapy for ≥3 months. After approval of rivaroxaban for the PE indication, patients with DVT and concomitant PE were also included. Type, dose, and duration of drug therapy were at the physician's discretion. Patients were followed up until 30 days after the end of treatment or study conclusion. The primary statistical analysis includes a descriptive analysis of the primary outcomes of major bleeding and recurrent VTE, which were centrally adjudicated under assessor-blinded conditions; hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from a Cox regression model adjusted for active cancer only are shown. Results This study enrolled 5142 patients across 21 countries, in Europe, Israel, and Canada, between June 2012 and March 2015. Six patients did not receive anticoagulant therapy and 368 patients were treated for >2-14 days with heparin/fondaparinux or 1-14 days with a vitamin K antagonist (VKA) before starting rivaroxaban (as described in the XALIA protocol paper, the latter were defined as 'early switchers' and included in a separate sensitivity analysis [Ageno et al . Thromb J 2014;12:16]). Thus, the primary analysis comprised 2619 patients in the rivaroxaban group (rivaroxaban only or

Margin-based classifiers like the SVM and ANN have two drawbacks. They are only directly applicable for two-class problems and they only output scores which do not reflect the assessment uncertainty. K-class assessment probabilities are usually generated by using a reduction to binary tasks, univariate calibration and further application of the pairwise coupling algorithm. This paper presents an alternative to coupling with usage of the Dirichlet distribution.

This paper provides an overview of calibration methods for supervised classification learners. Calibration means a scaling of classifier scores into the probability space. Such a probabilistic classifier output is especially useful if the classification output is used for post-processing. The calibraters are compared by using 10-fold cross-validation according to their performance on SVM and CART outputs for four different two-class data sets.

Background Several observational studies in patients at high risk of arterial vascular disease have shown that statin use is associated with a decreased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). A recent meta-analysis showed that the odds ratio for a first venous thromboembolic event for statin users was 0.89 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.78–1.01) compared with non-users (Rahmini K, et al. PLoS Med 2012;9: e1001310 doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001310). Objective To evaluate the risk of recurrent VTE in patients with VTE treated with an anticoagulant (rivaroxaban or enoxaparin/vitamin K antagonist [VKA]) in relation to the concomitant use of statin therapy in the EINSTEIN-DVT and EINSTEIN-PE studies. Measurements Incidence densities of symptomatic recurrent VTE and major bleeding were expressed per 100 patient-years of exposure (or not) to statins. A Cox proportional hazards model was employed, with statin use as a time-dependent variable, for each treatment group (rivaroxaban vs enoxaparin/VKA) and adjusted for aspirin use, age, body mass index, cardiac disorders, gender, and creatinine clearance at baseline. Results A total of 1509 (18%) of the 8240 patients included in EINSTEIN-DVT and EINSTEIN-PE used statins during the course of the studies. Statin users were more likely to have cardiovascular disorders (31% vs 10%) and also used aspirin more often (26% vs 5%). During statin/rivaroxaban treatment, recurrent VTE occurred with an incidence of 2.0 per 100 patient-years versus 3.6 during non-statin-use (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.29–1.32). During statin/enoxaparin/VKA use, recurrent VTE occurred at an incidence of 3.2 per 100 patient-years versus 4.0 during non-statin-use (adjusted HR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.47–1.69). Major bleeding during statin/rivaroxaban treatment occurred at an incidence of 2.2 per 100 patient-years versus 1.6 during non-statin-use (adjusted HR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.43–1.98). During statin/enoxaparin/VKA treatment, the rate of major bleeding was 3.7 per 100 patient-years compared with 3.0 during non-statin-use (adjusted HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.36–1.32). Due to the adjustments in the Cox regression model the direction of these hazard ratios are in contrast to the crude comparison of rates by patient-years. This is largely because, in general, statin users are older and most of the major bleeding events in statin users occur in the ≥60 years age group. Limitations The study comprised a post-hoc analysis of data collected in two randomized clinical trials. Because the analyses were not a comparison of randomized groups, residual confounding is possible. Conclusions A modest, but not statistically significant, reduction in recurrent VTE was observed with statin use in patients treated for VTE. This reduction was similar in patients receiving enoxaparin/VKA or rivaroxaban therapy. Disclosures: Gebel: Bayer HealthCare AG: Employment, Equity Ownership. Prins:Bayer HealthCare: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Boehringer Ingelheim: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; sanofi-aventis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; LeoPharma: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; ThromboGenics: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Lensing:Bayer HealthCare: Employment.