Clopidogrel vs Apixaban: side effects in FDA adverse event reports
At a glance
| Clopidogrel | Apixaban | |
|---|---|---|
| Drug class | – | Factor Xa Inhibitor |
| Brand names | – | – |
| FAERS reports | 197,000 | 66,516 |
| Serious | 81% | 96% |
| Death outcome | 21,779 | 7,220 |
| Boxed warning | Yes DIMINISHED EFFECTIVENESS IN POOR METABOLIZERS The effectiveness of clopidogrel is dependent on its activation to an active metabolite by the cytochrome P450 (CY | Yes WARNING: (A) PREMATURE DISCONTINUATION OF APIXABAN INCREASES THE RISK OF THROMBOTIC EVENTS (B) SPINAL/EPIDURAL HEMATOMA (A) PREMATURE DISCONTINUATION OF APIXABA |
Signals both drugs share
No strong shared signal after removing coding and lab terms.
Labeled signals distinctive to Clopidogrel
- Gastrointestinal haemorrhage — n=8,285, PRR 11.5 Labeled adverse reaction
- Upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage — n=1,605, PRR 11.1 Labeled (related wording)
- Ulcer haemorrhage — n=998, PRR 18.3 Labeled (related wording)
- Acute coronary syndrome — n=774, PRR 10.8 Labeled — boxed warning
- Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura — n=456, PRR 15.7 Labeled — boxed warning
- Retroperitoneal haemorrhage — n=253, PRR 12.0 Labeled adverse reaction
- Diverticulum intestinal haemorrhagic — n=249, PRR 13.0 Labeled (related wording)
- Retroperitoneal haematoma — n=229, PRR 12.3 Labeled (related wording)
Labeled signals distinctive to Apixaban
- Pericardial haemorrhage — n=220, PRR 35.1 Labeled (related wording)
- Therapeutic drug monitoring analysis not performed — n=48, PRR 60.5 Labeled (related wording)
- Red blood cell transfusion — n=42, PRR 36.9 Labeled (related wording)
Common questions
Which has more reported side effects, Clopidogrel or Apixaban?
Clopidogrel has 197,000 FAERS reports and Apixaban 66,516. More reports does not mean more dangerous: volume follows how widely and how long a drug has been used, prescription vs over-the-counter status, and publicity. The seriousness share (81% vs 96%) is a better like-for-like signal of the kind of problems reported.
Which side effects do Clopidogrel and Apixaban share?
They share no strong flagged signal after artifacts and lab terms are removed.
Is Clopidogrel or Apixaban safer?
FAERS cannot answer that: it has no denominator and no comparator. Use this page to see which risks are already on each label and which signals are unlabeled, then check the prescribing information and your clinician for your situation.
Sources: openFDA FAERS pair statistics (OpenPV build 2026-09-14), FDA labels via openFDA, openFDA count queries for seriousness and deaths. Pair chosen because it is a commonly searched comparison. Generated 2026-10-08.