This is a potentially very lucrative market. If anticoagulation can be done safely, with minimal or no side effects or adverse reactions, and no need for monitoring and testing, I'm sure a lot of people would think about jumping on board. Until generic warfarin became readily available (for as little as a dime or so per pill), a LOT of people were paying around $1 a pill for Coumadin.
A new drug that will do what warfarin does, but without the need for testing, may be worth a few dollars a day to many people - especially if insurance covers it. If you figure that there are at least 4 million people in America (from what I've read) taking anticoagulants, the market is pretty immense - and it's no wonder the drug companies are trying to develop something better than warfarin.
For valvers, this may take quite a while - the current meds are just for a-fib.