Each day, people like you search online for answers to questions about coronary artery disease (CAD) and XARELTO®, so we wanted to take this opportunity to answer some of them. Below, you’ll find answers to the questions people ask the most.
CAD FAQs
XARELTO® works together with low-dose aspirin to help protect you from blood clots that may cause a heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death. Think of XARELTO® and aspirin like 2 members of the same team whose job it is to prevent blood clots from forming and growing. But they each play different positions—aspirin, an antiplatelet blood thinner, helps keep platelets (which are a type of blood cell) from sticking together, and XARELTO®, an anticoagulant blood thinner, helps slow down the blood's clotting process.
Until recently, aspirin had to play defense on its own, but a study showed that adding XARELTO® to the team helps reduce the risk of a heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death, compared to aspirin alone. Read more about XARELTO® and aspirin.
CAD is a progressive disease with risks that increase over time. Only your healthcare professional can decide how long you should take XARELTO®. Do not stop taking XARELTO® without talking to the healthcare professional who prescribes it for you.
While it’s great that you’re making healthy choices and feeling better, as long as plaque exists in your arteries, there is always a risk that it can rupture and cause blood clots to form. So it’s important to continue taking XARELTO® as directed by your healthcare professional. Do not stop taking XARELTO® without talking to the healthcare professional who prescribes it for you. Stopping XARELTO® suddenly increases your risk for blood clots that may cause a heart attack or stroke.
If you miss a dose of XARELTO®, take your next 2.5 mg dose at your regularly scheduled time.
Aspirin has been a trusted treatment option to help reduce the risk of blood clots that may cause a heart attack or stroke. But we now know that aspirin alone may not be enough. While aspirin alone can help reduce your risk for these events, a large study of almost 40,000 people, including those with CAD or peripheral artery disease (PAD), showed that even though more than half were taking aspirin, the number of heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular deaths more than doubled over a 2-year period.* Read more about adding XARELTO® to your daily low-dose aspirin and how it can help.
*According to data from the REACH Registry.
XARELTO® FAQs
XARELTO® is a prescription blood thinner that, when taken with low-dose aspirin, helps reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death in adults with coronary artery disease (a condition where the blood supply to the heart is reduced or blocked). Learn more.
XARELTO® lowers your blood’s ability to clot by selectively blocking one of the clotting factors found in your blood—an enzyme called Factor Xa (“10a”). Learn more.
It has been shown that the effect of XARELTO® on your body’s blood-clotting function is the same regardless of age, race, weight, sex, or dietary changes. There are also limited known interactions between XARELTO® and other medications.
If you take XARELTO®, regular blood tests are not needed to see if XARELTO® is working, to check your blood-thinning levels (international normalized ratio, or INR), or to change your medication dose.*
*Certain patients with impaired kidney function may be monitored by their healthcare professional and have their dose adjusted as necessary.
XARELTO® has fewer drug interactions than older medicines like warfarin. Not only does warfarin interact with other medicines, alcohol, and certain foods (especially those high in vitamin K, like leafy greens), but the initial dosing of warfarin varies widely from person to person based on a number of factors, including age, race, weight, and sex. Because of this, when taking warfarin, you will need to have regular blood tests—in some cases as often as 1 or 2 times a week—to ensure your warfarin dose remains safe and effective.
You should always tell your healthcare professional about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements—especially if you take ketoconazole, ritonavir, erythromycin, carbamazepine, phenytoin, rifampin, or St. John’s wort.
Unlike warfarin (Coumadin®), XARELTO® has no known dietary restrictions. You do not have to adjust your intake of leafy greens and other foods high in vitamin K, as they don't affect how XARELTO® works.
Under the supervision of your healthcare professional, like other prescription medicines, XARELTO® may be taken with other medications. Always tell your healthcare professional about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements—especially if you take ketoconazole, ritonavir, carbamazepine, phenytoin, rifampin, erythromycin, or St. John’s wort.
It’s also important to note that, as with all blood thinners, you have a higher risk of bleeding if you take XARELTO® with other medicines that also increase your risk of bleeding, such as aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), warfarin, any medicine that contains heparin, clopidogrel (Plavix®), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), or other medicines to prevent or treat blood clots.
Like all blood thinners, XARELTO® can cause bleeding, which can be serious, and in rare cases, can be life threatening. Be sure to take XARELTO® exactly as prescribed, and do not stop taking XARELTO® without talking to the healthcare professional who prescribes it for you. You should discuss all potential benefits and risks with your healthcare professional.
The list price of XARELTO® is $516 per month.1 But remember, how much you will have to pay for XARELTO® depends on your health plan coverage. If you have commercial or private insurance and are being treated with XARELTO®, except if you are taking XARELTO® 10 mg after a recent non-surgical hospitalization or because you have recently undergone knee or hip replacement surgery, you may be eligible for savings through the Janssen CarePath Savings Program for XARELTO®.
If you have government coverage, or no prescription coverage, Janssen CarePath can provide information about other resources that may be able to help with your out-of-pocket medication costs. Learn more about your savings options.
1.How much you will pay each time you fill your prescription is determined by your health or prescription insurance carrier and your specific insurance policy. Information listed is accurate as of 01/19/2022. Information for Medicaid and Medicare Part D out-of-pocket costs are based on publicly available benefit design for 2022 plan year. List price does not reflect a patient's out-of-pocket cost and does not include samples, vouchers, the cost of administering the medication, or pharmacy fees.
Savings are available to eligible patients through the Janssen CarePath Savings Program for XARELTO®. If you have commercial or private insurance and are being treated with XARELTO®, except if you are only taking XARELTO® 10 mg after a recent non-surgical hospitalization or because you have recently undergone knee or hip replacement surgery, you may be eligible for savings.
If you have government coverage, or no prescription coverage, Janssen CarePath can provide information about other resources that may be able to help with your out-of-pocket medication costs. Learn more about your savings options.
When starting XARELTO®, it takes 2–4 hours for it to reach its full blood-thinning effect, and it leaves your system more quickly than warfarin—typically in about 24 hours. Compared to warfarin, which can take 3–4 days to reach its full blood-thinning effect and up to 7 days to leave your system, XARELTO® may be an option for people who plan to have surgery or surgical dental procedures.
XARELTO® was developed together by Janssen and Bayer. They continue to develop XARELTO® to treat and help reduce the risk of blood clot–related events in different conditions.
