Xarelto OKed by FDA

RARITAN, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug made by Johnson & Johnson for treating deep vein thrombosis in patients undergoing knee or hip replacement surgery, a J&J subsidiary said Friday.

Janssen Pharmaceuticals announced the approval of Xarelto (rivaroxaban) tablets as a once-daily oral anticoagulant for DVT, a condition that could lead to pulmonary embolism.

“The approval of once-daily Xarelto tablets will provide a new option to help protect patients from developing venous blood clots following knee or hip replacement surgery,” Harbor-UCLA Medical Center professor of orthopedic surgery Louis Kwong said on behalf of J&J. “Xarelto has a proven clinical benefit over one of today’s most widely used options in preventing these potentially life-threatening blood clots, and the use of a once-daily pill may play an essential role in helping to simplify clinical practice.”