apixaban , disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 967 , 208 , which is herein incorporated by reference , has the chemical name 1 -( 4 - methoxyphenyl )- 7 - oxo - 6 -[ 4 -( 2 - oxo - 1 - piperidinyl ) phenyl ]- 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 - tetrahydro - 1h - pyrazolo [ 3 , 4 - c ] pyridine - 3 - carboxamide and the formula additionally , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 919 , 451 , u . s . patent application publication no . 2005 / 0245566 a1 and u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 235 , 510 filed sep . 26 , 2005 , which are herein incorporated by reference , disclose various processes and key intermediates for preparing apixaban or a polymorph or pharmaceutically acceptable solvate form thereof . as used herein , the term “ cancer patient ” refers to a warm - blooded animal , such as a mammal , which is afflicted with cancer . it is understood that dogs , cats , rats , mice , and humans are examples of animals within the scope of the meaning of the term . the term “ cancer ” includes ( but not limited to ) the following : carcinoma , including ( but not limited to ) that of lung , breast , gastrointestinal ( colon , rectum , pancreas , stomach ), ovarian , uterine , prostate , bladder , thyroid , liver , kidney , head , neck and skin ; tumors of the central and peripheral nervous system , including neuroblastoma , glioblastoma , and medullobalstoma ; and other tumors , including melanoma , multiple myeloma , and lymphomas . “ therapeutically effective amount ” is intended to include an amount of apixaban or a polymorph or pharmaceutically acceptable solvate form thereof that is effective when administered alone or in combination to have a prophylactic effect in treating and preventing thrombotic and thromboembolic events in cancer patients . as used herein , “ prophylaxis ” refers to the preventive treatment of a disease - state in a mammal , particularly in a human , and include : ( a ) preventing the disease - state from occurring in a mammal , in particular , when such mammal is predisposed to the disease - state but has not yet been diagnosed as having it ; ( b ) inhibiting the disease - state , i . e ., arresting it development ; and / or ( c ) relieving the disease - state , i . e ., causing regression of the disease state . the term “ pharmaceutically acceptable ”, as used herein , refers to those compounds , materials , compositions , and / or dosage forms which are , within the scope of sound medical judgment , suitable for contact with the tissues of human beings and animals without excessive toxicity , irritation , allergic response , or other problem complications commensurate with a reasonable benefit / risk ratio . as used herein , “ polymorph ” refers to crystalline forms having the same chemical composition but different spatial arrangements of the molecules , and / or ions forming the crystal . as used herein , “ solvate ” refers to a crystalline form of a molecule , and / or ions that further comprises molecules of a solvent or solvents incorporated into the crystalline structure . the solvent molecules in the solvate may be present in a regular arrangement and / or a non - ordered arrangement . the solvate may comprise either a stoichiometric or nonstoichiometric amount of the solvent molecules . for example , a solvate with a nonstoichiometric amount of solvent molecules may result from partial loss of solvent from the solvate . the term “ thrombosis ”, as used herein , refers to formation or presence of a thrombus ( pl . thrombi ); clotting within a blood vessel which may cause infarction of tissues supplied by the vessel . the term “ embolism ”, as used herein , refers to sudden blocking of an artery by a clot or foreign material which has been brought to its site of lodgment by the blood current . the term “ thromboembolism ”, as used herein , refers to obstruction of a blood vessel with thrombotic material carried by the blood stream from the site of origin to plug another vessel . in general , a thromboembolic event or disorder is a circulatory disease caused by blood clots ( i . e ., diseases involving fibrin formation , platelet activation , and / or platelet aggregation ). the term “ thromboembolic disorders ( or events )” as used herein includes arterial cardiovascular thromboembolic disorders , venous cardiovascular thromboembolic disorders , and thromboembolic disorders in the chambers of the heart . the term “ thromboembolic disorders ( or events )” as used herein also includes specific disorders selected from , but not limited to , unstable angina or other acute coronary syndromes , atrial fibrillation , first or recurrent myocardial infarction , ischemic sudden death , transient ischemic attack , stroke , atherosclerosis , peripheral occlusive arterial disease , venous thrombosis , deep vein thrombosis , thrombophlebitis , arterial embolism , coronary arterial thrombosis , cerebral arterial thrombosis , cerebral embolism , kidney embolism , pulmonary embolism , and thrombosis resulting from medical implants , devices , or procedures in which blood is exposed to an artificial surface that promotes thrombosis . the medical implants or devices include , but not limited to : prosthetic valves , indwelling catheters , stents , and vessel grafts . the procedures include , but not limited to : cardiopulmonary bypass and hemodialysis . it is noted that thrombosis includes occlusion ( e . g . after a bypass ) and reocclusion ( e . g ., during or after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty ). the term “ stroke ”, as used herein , refers to embolic stroke or atherothrombotic stroke arising from occlusive thrombosis in the carotid communis , carotid interna , or intracerebral arteries . the methods preferably comprise administering to a patient a therapeutically effective amount of apixaban or a polymorph or pharmaceutically acceptable solvate form thereof , preferably in combination with one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and / or excipients . a “ pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or excipient ” refers to media generally accepted in the art for the delivery of biologically active agents to animals , in particular , mammals . pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and / or excipients are formulated according to a number of factors well within the purview of those of ordinary skill in the art . these include , without limitation : the type and nature of the active agent being formulated ; the subject to which the agent - containing composition is to be administered ; the intended route of administration of the composition ; and , the therapeutic indication being targeted . pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and / or excipients include both aqueous and non - aqueous liquid media , as well as a variety of solid and semi - solid dosage forms . such carriers and / or excipients can include a number of different ingredients and additives in addition to the active agent , such additional ingredients being included in the formulation for a variety of reasons , e . g ., stabilization of the active agent , binders , etc ., well known to those of ordinary skill in the art . descriptions of suitable pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and / or excipients , and factors involved in their selection , are found in a variety of readily available sources such as , for example , remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences , 17th ed ., 1985 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . apixaban or a polymorph or pharmaceutically acceptable solvate form thereof may be administered to a patient in such oral dosage forms as tablets , capsules ( each of which includes immediate release , sustained release or timed release formulations ), pills , powders , granules , elixirs , tinctures , suspensions , syrups , and emulsions . they may also be administered in intravenous ( bolus or infusion ), intraperitoneal , subcutaneous , or intramuscular form , all using dosage forms well known to those of ordinary skill in the pharmaceutical arts . they may be administered alone , but generally will be administered with a pharmaceutical carrier selected on the basis of the chosen route of administration and standard pharmaceutical practice . the dosage regimen will , of course , vary depending upon known factors , such as the pharmacodynamic characteristics of the particular agent and its mode and route of administration ; the species , age , sex , health , medical condition , and weight of the recipient ; the nature and extent of the symptoms ; the kind of concurrent treatment ; the frequency of treatment ; the route of administration , the renal and hepatic function of the patient , and the effect desired . a physician or veterinarian can determine and prescribe the effective amount of the drug required to prevent , counter , or arrest the progress of the thromboembolic disorder . obviously , several unit dosage forms may be administered at about the same time . the dosage that will be most suitable for prophylaxis or treatment may vary with the form of administration , the particular crystalline form of the compound chosen and the physiological characteristics of the particular patient under treatment . broadly , small dosages may be used initially and , if necessary , increased by small increments until the desired effect under the circumstances is reached . apixaban or a polymorph or pharmaceutically acceptable solvate form thereof may be administered in combination with other therapeutic agents . by “ administered in combination ” or “ combination therapy ” it is meant that apixaban or a polymorph or pharmaceutically acceptable solvate form thereof and one or more additional therapeutic agents are administered concurrently to the mammal being treated . when administered in combination each component may be administered at the same time or sequentially in any order at different points in time . thus , each component may be administered separately but sufficiently closely in time so as to provide the desired therapeutic effect . if apixaban is administered in combination with therapeutic agents , the combination of compounds is preferably a synergistic combination . synergy , as described for example by chou and talalay , adv . enzyme regul . 1984 , 22 , 27 - 55 , occurs when the effect of the compounds when administered in combination is greater than the additive effect of the compounds when administered alone as a single agent . in general , a synergistic effect is most clearly demonstrated at suboptimal concentrations of the compounds . synergy can be in terms of lower cytotoxicity , increased antithrombotic effect , anti - cancer effect , improved safety profiles or some other beneficial effect of the combination compared with the individual components in the same formulation . additional therapeutic agents include other anti - coagulant or coagulation inhibitory agents , anti - cancer agents , anti - platelet or platelet inhibitory agents , thrombin inhibitors , thrombolytic or fibrinolytic agents , anti - arrythmic agents , anti - hypertensive agents , calcium channel blockers ( l - type and t - type ), cardiac glycosides , diruetics , mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists , phospodiesterase inhibitors , cholesterol / lipid lowering agents and lipid profile therapies , anti - diabetic agents , anti - depressants , anti - inflammatory agents ( steroidal and non - steroidal ), anti - osteoporosis agents , hormone replacement therapies , oral contraceptives , anti - obesity agents , anti - anxiety agents , anti - proliferative agents , anti - tumor agents , anti - ulcer and gastroesophageal reflux disease agents , growth hormone and / or growth hormone secretagogues , thyroid mimetics ( including thyroid receptor antagonist ), anti - infective agents , anti - viral agents , anti - bacterial agents , and anti - fungal agents . accordingly , components ( a ) and ( b ) of the present invention may be formulated together , in a single dosage unit ( that is , combined together in one capsule , tablet , powder , or liquid , etc .) as a combination product . when component ( a ) and ( b ) are not formulated together in a single dosage unit , the component ( a ) may be administered at the same time as component ( b ) or in any order ; for example component ( a ) of this invention may be administered first , followed by administration of component ( b ), or they may be administered in the reverse order . if component ( b ) contains more that one agent , these agents may be administered together or in any order . when not administered at the same time , preferably the administration of component ( a ) and ( b ) occurs less than about one hour apart . preferably , the route of administration of component ( a ) and ( b ) is oral . although it may be preferable that component ( a ) and component ( b ) both be administered by the same route ( that is , for example , both orally ) or dosage form , if desired , they may each be administered by different routes ( that is , for example , one component of the combination product may be administered orally , and another component may be administered intravenously ) or dosage forms . pharmaceutical kits which may be useful for the treatment of various disorders , and which comprise a therapeutically effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition comprising apixaban or a polymorph or pharmaceutically acceptable solvate form thereof in one or more sterile containers , are also within the ambit of the present invention . the kits may further comprise conventional pharmaceutical kit components which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , once armed with the present disclosure . sterilization of the container may be carried out using conventional sterilization methodology well known to those skilled in the art . apixaban or a polymorph or pharmaceutically acceptable solvate form thereof may be administered orally , for example , with an inert diluent or with an edible carrier . they may be enclosed in gelatin capsules or compressed into tablets . for the purpose of oral therapeutic administration , the compounds may be incorporated with excipients and used in the form of tablets , troches , capsules , elixirs , suspensions , syrups , wafers , chewing gums and the like . for the purpose of parenteral therapeutic administration , the compounds of the present invention may be incorporated into a solution or suspension . preferred compositions and preparations according to the present invention are prepared so that an oral dosage unit form contains between 1 and 50 milligrams of the active ingredient . more preferred compositions are prepared to contain between 2 to 20 milligrams of the active ingredient . even more preferred compositions are prepared to contain between 5 to 20 milligrams of the active ingredient . pharmaceutical compositions may be administered once or twice daily , preferrably once daily . a preferred embodiment of the present invention is a phase 2 , randomized , double - blind , placebo - controlled , 4 - arm trial to determine if once - daily apixaban 5 mg , 10 mg or 20 mg or matching placebo in patients receiving either first or second line chemotherapy for advanced ( metastatic ) cancer will be well tolerated and accepted for the prevention of thrombosis . eligible patients must not demonstrate active bleeding or have a high risk of bleeding and patients must be enrolled within 4 weeks of starting first or second line chemotherapy . the duration of study drug treatment will be 12 weeks . the primary outcome is a composite of major bleeding or clinically relevant non - major bleeding over 12 weeks of treatment . see table 1 for study schema . 1 ) patients receiving either first or second line chemotherapy for advanced ( metastatic ) lung , breast , gastrointestinal ( colon , rectum , pancreas , stomach ), ovarian or prostate cancer ; myeloma and selected lymphomas ( note : lymphomas where chemotherapy is expected to cause marked thrombocytopenia , e . g . burkitt &# 39 ; s , are not eligible ). 2 ) able to begin study medication ≦ 4 weeks of starting either first or second line chemotherapy 3 ) expected course of chemotherapy ≧ 90 days after start of chemotherapy 4 ) men and women , aged 18 years or more without further elaboration the foregoing will so fully illustrate our invention that others , may , by applying current future knowledge , adopt the same for use under various conditions of service .
the present invention generally relates a method of prophylaxis of thrombotic and thromboembolic events in a cancer patient in need thereof comprising administering to said patient a therapeutically effective amount of a factor xa inhibitor , especially apixaban or a polymorph or pharmaceutically acceptable solvate form thereof . the factor xa inhibitor may be used in combination with therapeutic agents .