Bristol-Pfizer anticlot drug gets key EU approval

European regulators have approved a crucial new anticlotting drug, Eliquis, for preventing strokes and dangerous clots in the circulatory system.

Eliquis was approved for use in the 27 European Union countries in patients at risk for such clots, called systemic embolisms, or for strokes who have an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation.

It's the second EU approval for Eliquis, developed by partners Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Pfizer Inc.

Eliquis was approved in the EU in May 2011 for preventing dangerous clots from forming in deep veins after hip or knee replacement surgery.

The new approval clears the drug for use in far more patients. In Europe alone, about 6 million people have atrial fibrillation. Eliquis is part of a new generation of clot-preventing drugs, but isn't approved in the U.S.