Compared with warfarin, all the NOACs listed in the previous Figure appear to be efficacious for decreasing stroke risk in patients with AFib.  A recent meta-analysis summarized some of the top-line data for these agents and revealed a degree of consistency in terms of the therapeutic responses of the different NOACs.[17]  I believe that the results shown in Figure 16 mean that it is probably safe and accurate to say that compared with warfarin – and even compared with the warfarin therapy in the randomized clinical trials, where the mean INR values were in the therapeutic range for a very high percentage of the time – the NOACs significantly reduced the risk of stroke or systemic embolism in patients with AFib, and this can be said of both classes (DTI and factor Xa) of NOACs.