Prescription medication · Direct Oral Anticoagulant (Factor Xa Inhibitor)
apixaban
Also sold as Eliquis. Apixaban is used to lower the chance of stroke in people with an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 62,650
- FDA reportsOften reported
- 12
- InteractionsSeveral interactions
- $9.51
- Brand price (NADAC)
What the data shows
apixaban (Eliquis) is a prescription Direct Oral Anticoagulant (Factor Xa Inhibitor), more reported than most tracked drugs (62,650 FDA reports), with 12 documented drug interactions.
Reporting volume reflects how widely a drug is used and studied, not how dangerous it is, a FAERS report documents a temporal association, never proof of cause.
apixaban (Eliquis) is a prescription Direct Oral Anticoagulant (Factor Xa Inhibitor). Apixaban is used to lower the chance of stroke in people with an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation.
Apixaban (Eliquis) is a medicine that helps prevent blood clots. It is used to lower the risk of stroke and other serious problems caused by blood clots.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Brand Price
$9.51/unit
Generic Available
Yes (3 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
Apixaban is used to lower the chance of stroke in people with an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation.
Common side effects
Bleeding more easily (like nosebleeds or heavier periods), Bruising more easily
Key warnings
Apixaban has two important warnings.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from apixaban's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Apixaban is a type of drug called a factor Xa inhibitor. It works by blocking a substance in the blood that helps clots form. This helps to keep your blood flowing smoothly.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 62,650 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for apixaban, by number of reports
- Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial Fibrillation
3,970 reports
- Dyspnoea
Dyspnoea
3,598 reports
- Cerebrovascular Accident
Cerebrovascular Accident
3,508 reports
- Thrombosis
Thrombosis
2,806 reports
- Cardiac Disorder
Cardiac Disorder
2,509 reports
- Death
Death
2,332 reports
- Fall
Fall
2,287 reports
- Fatigue
Fatigue
2,193 reports
- Dizziness
Dizziness
1,929 reports
- Anaemia
Anaemia
1,910 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for apixaban each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where apixaban sits
apixaban has more FDA adverse-event reports than 77% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is apixaban; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 62,650 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2005–2025.
Total Reports
62,650
Reports Mentioning Death
6,759
10.8% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
27,509
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ATRIAL FIBRILLATION | 3,970 |
| 2 | DYSPNOEA | 3,598 |
| 3 | CEREBROVASCULAR ACCIDENT | 3,508 |
| 4 | THROMBOSIS | 2,806 |
| 6 | CARDIAC DISORDER | 2,509 |
| 7 | DEATH | 2,332 |
| 8 | FALL | 2,287 |
| 9 | FATIGUE | 2,193 |
| 10 | DIZZINESS | 1,929 |
| 11 | ANAEMIA | 1,910 |
| 12 | DIARRHOEA | 1,768 |
| 13 | NAUSEA | 1,679 |
| 14 | ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY | 1,673 |
| 16 | HEADACHE | 1,591 |
| 17 | COVID-19 | 1,555 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
Apixaban has two important warnings. First, stopping apixaban too early can raise your risk of blood clots. Don't stop taking it without talking to your doctor. Second, if you have spinal anesthesia or a spinal puncture while taking apixaban, you could get a blood clot around your spine, which can cause long-term paralysis.
Known Drug Interactions
APPRAISE-2, a placebo-controlled clinical trial of apixaban in high-risk, post-acute coronary syndrome patients treated with aspirin or the combination of aspirin and clopidogrel, was terminated early due to a higher rate of bleeding with apixaban compared to placebo.
Mechanism: Both of these medicines prevent blood clots in different ways, and using them together significantly increases your risk of serious bleeding. Clinical trials were even stopped early because this combination caused too much bleeding.
7.3 Anticoagulants and Antiplatelet Agents Coadministration of antiplatelet agents, fibrinolytics, heparin, aspirin, and chronic NSAID use increases the risk of bleeding. APPRAISE-2, a placebo-controlled clinical trial of apixaban in high-risk, post-acute coronary syndrome patients treated with aspirin or the combination of aspirin and clopidogrel, was terminated early due to a higher rate of bleeding with apixaban compared to placebo. In ARISTOTLE, concomitant use of aspirin increased the bleeding risk on apixaban from 1.8% per year to 3.4% per year and concomitant use of aspirin and...
Mechanism: Aspirin and apixaban both thin the blood, and taking them together can nearly double your risk of having a bleeding event. This happens because both drugs make it harder for your blood to clot.
In ARISTOTLE, concomitant use of aspirin increased the bleeding risk on apixaban from 1.8% per year to 3.4% per year and concomitant use of aspirin and warfarin increased the bleeding risk from 2.7% per year to 4.6% per year.
Mechanism: Both medications are powerful blood thinners, and using them at the same time greatly increases the risk of dangerous bleeding. Combining these drugs makes it much more difficult for your body to stop any bleeding that starts.
7.2 Combined P-gp Strong CYP3A4 Inducers Avoid concomitant use of apixaban tablets with combined P-gp and strong CYP3A4 Inducers (e.g., rifampin, carbamazepine, phenytoin, St.
Mechanism: Carbamazepine makes your body break down apixaban too fast, which lowers the drug levels in your blood. This makes the medicine less effective at preventing dangerous blood clots.
7.2 Combined P-gp Strong CYP3A4 Inducers Avoid concomitant use of apixaban tablets with combined P-gp and strong CYP3A4 Inducers (e.g., rifampin, carbamazepine, phenytoin, St.
Mechanism: Rifampin speeds up the process of removing apixaban from your body. This can leave you with too little medicine to prevent a stroke or blood clot.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
Can I take aspirin with apixaban?
What should I do before surgery?
Can apixaban be reversed?
Will apixaban interact with other medicines I'm taking?
How long will I need to take apixaban?
Can I drink alcohol while taking apixaban?
What if I have kidney problems?
What are the signs of bleeding I should watch out for?
Can I get a rash from apixaban?
Does apixaban come in different strengths?
What are the common side effects of apixaban?
Does apixaban interact with other medications?
What drug class is apixaban?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for apixaban?
Related Medications in Direct Oral Anticoagulant (Factor Xa Inhibitor)
Other drugs grouped near apixaban - same-class peers and common alternatives.
aspirin
Bayer, Ecotrin
Aspirin is a common medicine used to relieve minor pain.
Compare with apixaban →
cilostazol
Pletal
Cilostazol is a medicine that helps improve walking distance in people with leg pain due to poor circulation.
Compare with apixaban →
clopidogrel
Plavix
Clopidogrel is a drug that helps to prevent blood clots.
Compare with apixaban →
dabigatran
Pradaxa
Dabigatran (Pradaxa) is a drug that helps to prevent blood clots from forming.
Compare with apixaban →
dalteparin
Fragmin
Dalteparin (Fragmin) is a type of blood thinner medicine.
Compare with apixaban →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for apixaban: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.
Similar FAERS report volume
Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 62,650.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 10.79%.
- nateglinide Δ 0.04 pts · 1,302 reports · Meglitinide 10.83%death share
- cetirizine Δ 0.05 pts · 72,729 reports · Second-Generation Antihistamine 10.74%death share
- ramelteon Δ 0.08 pts · 7,215 reports · Melatonin Receptor Agonist 10.87%death share
- hydroxychloroquine Δ 0.08 pts · 71,900 reports · Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drug (DMARD) 10.87%death share
Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
How CYP450 enzymes, inhibitors, and inducers affect your medications
Generic vs Brand Name Drugs
FDA requirements, cost savings, and when the difference matters
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs
FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
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What the FDA Data Shows for apixaban
The FDA label for apixaban (sold under brand names such as Eliquis) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Direct Oral Anticoagulant (Factor Xa Inhibitor) class. Apixaban is used to lower the chance of stroke in people with an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation. Official labeling lists 2 commonly reported side effects, including Bleeding more easily (like nosebleeds or heavier periods), Bruising more easily.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 62,650 voluntary reports. The database also lists 12 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated moderate severity. NADAC pricing from CMS.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: June 15, 2021
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages