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Switching vitamin K antagonist (VKA) treatment to a non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC) in frail elderly patients with atrial fibrillation is associated with more bleeding complications compared to continuing VKA treatment. That's the finding of late breaking research. In newly diagnosed patients with atrial fibrillation, NOACs are preferred over VKAs for the prevention of stroke. In atrial fibrillation patients already using a VKA, ESC guidelines recommend considering switching to a NOAC, especially if the time in therapeutic range is not well-controlled despite good drug adherence. The FRAIL-AF trial investigated whether switching VKA treatment to NOAC treatment was superior in terms of major and/or clinically relevant non-major bleeding complications in frail elderly patients with atrial fibrillation. Patients were at least 75 years of age, had a Groningen Frailty Indicator score of 3 or higher, and were currently managed with VKAs. Between January 2018 and April 2022, a total of 1,330 patients were randomized. The mean age was 83 years and 38.8% were women. After 163 primary outcome events (101 in the switch arm, 62 in the continue arm), the trial was stopped for futility on advice from the Data Safety and Monitoring Board following a prespecified futility analysis. The HR for the primary outcome of major or clinically relevant non-major bleeding was 1.69 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.23 to 2.32) for switching to a NOAC relative to continuing a VKA. The HR for thromboembolic events was 1.26 (95% CI 0.60 to 2.61). Regarding secondary outcomes, 16 thromboembolic events occurred in the NOAC arm versus 13 in the VKA arm, yielding incidence rates of 2.6 (95% CI 1.5 to 4.3) and 2.1 (95% CI 1.1 to 3.6) per 100 patient-years, respectively.

BLAH-BLAH-BLAH, yackity yack and all that... And which drug company is pimping this BS. Also don't forget to get your chicom fake plague jab/booster #25.