An anticoagulant drug developed by Bayer AG and Johnson & Johnson showed superior efficacy in preventing blood clots in patients who had an orthopedic surgery in a Phase III trial study, Bayer reported on Friday.

Rivaroxaban -a one tablet/once-daily, oral investigational anticoagulant- demonstrated a significant 31 percent relative risk reduction of venous blood clots while maintaining low major bleeding rates in a study involving 3,148 patients, Bayer said.

The study compared rivaroxaban or Xarelto with the U.S.-approved treatment enoxaparin or Lovenox made by Sanofi-Aventis SA, which is currently circulating in the market.

The positive data on the drug Rivaroxaban increases its chances of being approved by U.S. health regulators. The companies are planning to file for approval in the third quarter.

The success of this trial strengthens my belief that direct Factor Xa inhibition with rivaroxaban has the potential to revolutionize the way we prevent the formation of dangerous blood clots said said Dr. A.G.G. Turpie the principal investigator for the study. He is also a professor of medicine at McMaster University in Canada.

In the report, Bayer said that patients treated with Rivaroxaban had a major bleeding rate compared with patients who took Lovenox but it is low and not statistically different.

Johnson & Johnson shares rose 0.71 percent to $66.89 in the New York stock Exchange on Friday morning. Shares of Bayer were trading last at $88.

Medicine