Extended duration venous thromboembolism prophylaxis with betrixaban for patients re-admitted with venous thromboembolism

Patients hospitalized for an acute medical illness remain at risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) post-discharge. Betrixaban, an oral direct Factor Xa inhibitor, is approved for extended VTE thromboprophylaxis in acutely ill medical patients. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate patients re-admitted with VTE within 30 days of discharge to determine if they would have been eligible for extended duration VTE prophylaxis during the index admission. We used three different sets of eligibility criteria: the APEX study criteria, the Bevyxxa® (betrixaban) package insert, and Mass General Brigham HealthCare System’s Center for Drug Policy Guidelines. A secondary aim was to describe the reasons for ineligibility. Within 30 days of the index hospital admission, 226 patients were re-admitted with new VTE between January 2017 and December 2018. Of these, 134 (59%) were excluded based on pre-defined exclusion criteria. Of the remaining 92, 22 patients (23.9%) were eligible based on the APEX study criteria, 26 patients (28.2%) based on Mass General Brigham HealthCare System’s Center for Drug Policy Guidelines, and 92 patients (100%) based on the Bevyxxa® package insert. There were 22 patients (23.9%) who were eligible for VTE prophylaxis with betrixaban based on all three criteria. Appropriate betrixaban use may have prevented some of the VTE events and re-admissions that occurred within 30 days of initial hospital discharge.