Apixaban in Acute Coronary Syndromes

Apixaban is an orally active, selective, direct-acting, reversible inhibitor of factor Xa that is under evaluation for the management of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). This article critically reviews the rationale and evidence for the use of anticoagulants in the long-term management of ACS, preliminary data for apixaban from the phase 2 apixaban for prevention of acute ischemic and safety events (APPRAISE) trial, and the potential future role of apixaban for this indication.