Apixaban
- Class: Direct factor Xa inhibitor
- Used for: blood clots
- Say it: uh-PIX-uh-ban
- Forms: tablet
Remember the name – A-PIX-A → factor Xa, BAN → ban
APIXABAN = a BAN on factor Xa — and the X is sitting right there in the middle of the name.
Every -XABAN blocks factor Xa directly. Once you see the X in the name, the target never has to be memorised again.
APIXABAN = a BAN on factor Xa — and the X is sitting right there in the middle of the name.
Every -XABAN blocks factor Xa directly. Once you see the X in the name, the target never has to be memorised again.
Mnemonic: api-XA-ban — the answer is in the name
The -xaban drugs block factor Xa directly. 'Xa' sits in the middle of the generic name, which makes this the easiest mechanism on the whole list to recall.
The -xaban drugs block factor Xa directly. 'Xa' sits in the middle of the generic name, which makes this the easiest mechanism on the whole list to recall.
Side effects
Common: bruising, nosebleeds, heavy periods
Serious: major bleeding, spinal hematoma
Typical dose
5 mg twice daily
Reduce to 2.5 mg twice daily if two of: age 80 or over, weight 60 kg or under, creatinine 133 µmol/L or above.
Check yourself
What does Apixaban block?
- Factor Xa, directly
- Vitamin K recycling in the liver
- The P2Y12 receptor on platelets
- Thrombin, directly
Show answer
A. Factor Xa, directly
It binds factor Xa itself. Warfarin works upstream on the factory that builds several factors; dabigatran — option four — blocks thrombin, one step further down the same cascade.
See it, don't memorize it
The app has the mechanism comic and a patient case for Apixaban – plus the name link, the class mnemonic, pronunciation you can hear, and a self-check, for the top 100 drugs. One purchase, no subscription, no account.