China approves Bayer stroke drug, the first Factor XIa inhibitor approved worldwide

Bloomberg reports that Bayer’s drug asundexian, to be marketed as Sunharbo, won approval in China. The Wall Street Journal says it is the first approval worldwide for a Factor XIa inhibitor, a class intended to slow a protein involved in clotting without increasing bleeding risk. The approval covers reducing the risk of another stroke after a noncardioembolic ischemic stroke.