Noval Oral Anticoagulants - Review of Articles

Anticoagulants are pharmacological agents that inhibit the coagulation cascade. Utilising these agents in various situations of medical practice is pivotal. In the past options were limited to heparin and warfarin in which the monitoring and safety profile was cumbersome. In recent times there is paradigm shift to novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) which are Direct Thrombin Inhibitors and prevent thrombin by cleaving fibrinogen to form fibrin. the major advantages are absence of food interactions; few strong drug interactions; predictable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles; rapid onset and offset of action; short half-life; and absence of the need for laboratory monitoring. Routine monitoring is not required, regardless of body weight, age, sex, race, and demographic variations. Disadvantages of NOACs, such as their higher cost, absence of specific antidotes, and limited experience and dosing, however, should be taken into consideration.