NCT03266783

Brief Summary

Apixaban and rivaroxaban have been compared to standard therapy for treatment of acute symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and are both approved by Health Canada. No safety or efficacy data is available from direct head-to-head comparison of these two anticoagulants. Lawsuits in the United States over bleeding events, patient perceptions, and concerns with medication adherence are additional factors highlighting the importance of a comparison trial. This multi-center, pragmatic, prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded end-point (PROBE) trial aims to compare the safety of apixaban and rivaroxaban for the treatment of VTE.

Trial Health

90
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
2,760

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for phase_4

Timeline
Completed

Started Dec 2017

Longer than P75 for phase_4

Geographic Reach
3 countries

19 active sites

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

August 10, 2017

Completed
20 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

August 30, 2017

Completed
4 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

December 13, 2017

Completed
7.4 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

April 30, 2025

Completed
4 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

September 8, 2025

Completed
Last Updated

November 17, 2025

Status Verified

November 1, 2025

Enrollment Period

7.4 years

First QC Date

August 10, 2017

Last Update Submit

November 14, 2025

Conditions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • The rate of adjudicated clinically relevant bleeding (CRB) events

    CRB events are defined as the composite of major bleeding (MB) events and clinically relevant non-major bleeding (CRNMB) events.

    For the duration of the study: 3 months

Secondary Outcomes (9)

  • Adjudicated Major Bleeding events

    For the duration of the study: 3 months

  • Adjudicated Clinically Relevant Non-Major Bleeding events

    For the duration of the study: 3 months

  • Adjudicated recurrent VTE events

    For the duration of the study: 3 months

  • Adjudicated VTE-related deaths

    For the duration of the study: 3 months

  • All-cause mortality

    For the duration of the study: 3 months

  • +4 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (2)

Apixaban group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

10 mg orally (PO), twice a day (BID) for 1 week, then 5 mg PO BID for 3 months of treatment

Drug: Apixaban

Rivaroxaban group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

15 mg orally (PO), twice a day (BID) for 3 weeks, then 20 mg PO once a day (OD) for 3 months of treatment

Drug: Rivaroxaban

Interventions

Refer to Apixaban group

Also known as: Eliquis
Apixaban group

Refer to Rivaroxaban group

Also known as: Xarelto
Rivaroxaban group

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Confirmed newly diagnosed symptomatic acute venous thromboembolism (VTE) \[proximal lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or segmental or greater pulmonary embolism (PE)\]
  • Age ≥ 18 years old
  • Informed consent obtained

You may not qualify if:

  • Have received \> 72 hours of therapeutic anticoagulation
  • Creatinine clearance \< 30 ml/min calculated with the Cockcroft-Gault formula
  • Any contraindication for anticoagulation with apixaban or rivaroxaban as determined by the treating physician such as, but not limited to:
  • active bleeding,
  • active malignancy, defined as a) diagnosed with cancer within the past 6 months; or b) recurrent, regionally advanced or metastatic disease; or c) currently receiving treatment or have received any treatment for cancer during the 6 months prior to randomization; or d) a hematologic malignancy not in complete remission,
  • weight \> 120 kg,
  • liver disease (Child-Pugh Class B or C),
  • use of contraindicated medications
  • another indication for long-term anticoagulation (e.g. atrial fibrillation)
  • pregnant (note below) or breastfeeding (Note: as reported by the patient or a pregnancy test will be ordered at the discretion of the treating physician for women of childbearing potential as per standard of care)

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (19)

The University of Sydney

Darlington, New South Wales, 200606, Australia

Location

University of Calgary

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Location

Alberta Health Sciences

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Location

St. Paul's Hospital

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Location

QEII Health Science Centre

Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 2Y9, Canada

Location

Hamilton General Hospital

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Location

Juravinski Hospital

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Location

St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Location

Kingston General Hospital

Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Location

London Health Sciences Center

London, Ontario, N6A 5W9, Canada

Location

The Ottawa Hospital - General Campus

Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 8L6, Canada

Location

UHN - Toronto General Hospital

Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C4, Canada

Location

Jewish General Hospital

Montreal, Quebec, H3T 1E2, Canada

Location

McGill University Health Center

Montreal, Quebec, H4A 3J1, Canada

Location

Hôpital Sacré-Coeur de Montréal

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Location

St. Mary's Hospital

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Location

CHU de Québec-Université Laval

Québec, Quebec, Canada

Location

University of Sherbrooke

Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada

Location

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland/Mater Misericordiae University Hospital

Dublin, Ireland

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Venous Thromboembolism

Interventions

apixabanRivaroxaban

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

ThromboembolismEmbolism and ThrombosisVascular DiseasesCardiovascular Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

ThiophenesSulfur CompoundsOrganic ChemicalsMorpholinesOxazinesHeterocyclic Compounds, 1-RingHeterocyclic Compounds

Study Officials

  • Lana Castellucci, MD, FRCPC

    Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
phase 4
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

August 10, 2017

First Posted

August 30, 2017

Study Start

December 13, 2017

Primary Completion

April 30, 2025

Study Completion

September 8, 2025

Last Updated

November 17, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-11

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations