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Heart patients who took proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) along with clopidogrel were half as likely to be hospitalized for upper digestive tract bleeding than those who used clopidogrel alone. In addition, the PPIs did not inhibit clopidogrel’s therapeutic effect, according to a study published in the March 16 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Written by Justine Cadet
ATLANTA—In high-risk patients with atrial fibrillation who can’t tolerate standard blood thinners, such as warfarin, a combination treatment of aspirin and the more expensive clopidogrel (Plavix, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi-Aventis) is clinically effective for preventing stroke as well as being cost-effective, according to an ACTIVE-A economic substudy presented Sunday at the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) 59th annual scientific session. Slides»
The reversible anti-clotting medication ticagrelor can overcome a patient's nonresponsiveness to clopidogrel, according to results of the RESPOND trial published online March 1 in Circulation.
A large single-center study has found that carotid artery restenosis (post-stenting) greater than 50 percent and cerebral events rather than retinal events are risk factors for recurrent stroke. Clopidogrel, however, reduced the risk, according to the investigation published in the February issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions.
Antiplatelet agent ticagrelor (Brilinta, AstraZeneca) reduces death rates without increasing bleeding compared with the current standard treatment of clopidogrel for heart attack patients, based on the PLATO-Invasive trial published online Jan. 13 in the Lancet. An accompanying commentary describes the introduction of ticagrelor as “a landmark event that should redefine the care of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS).”
AstraZeneca has submitted its antiplatelet drug, ticagrelor (Brilinta) to the FDA for approval via a new drug application.
Orlando, Fla.—The new, reversible antiplatelet drug cangrelor was not superior over clopidogrel in reducing the composite of death, MI or ischemic revascularization 48 hours after PCI, nor did the investigative drug prove superior over placebo for combined endpoint of MI, all-cause mortality and revascularization. Yet, the drug may have some benefits for stent thrombosis. Two randomized, controlled trials demonstrated these results, which were presented Sunday at the American Heart Association late breaking clinical trials session.
The value of the global pharmaceutical market in 2010, driven by stronger near-term growth in the U.S. market, is expected to grow 4-6 percent on a constant-dollar basis, exceeding $825 billion, according to report from market research firm IMS Health.
SAN FRANCISCO—Despite highly publicized observational studies that prematurely lead to societal warnings and regulatory changes regarding proton pump inhibitors, the first randomized, placebo-controlled trial, COGENT, found that the combination of proton pump inhibitors and clopidogrel did not lead to adverse events. The results were presented during the late breaking clinical trials session at the 2009 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium.
SAN FRANCISCO—A two-year dual-antiplatelet regimen with aspirin and clopidogrel can prevent the occurrence of very late stent thrombosis after PCI with drug-eluting stents (DES), according to the TYCOON (Two-Year ClOpidOgrel Need) registry presented at the annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) meeting this week.
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Written by Justine Cadet
ATLANTA—The Endeavor stent was found to be inferior to the Cypher stent in routine clinical care patients at 18-month follow-up, according to the all comers SORT OUT III trial presented Monday at the late breaking clinical trials session during the 59 th American College of Cardiology (ACC) conference. Slides»
The FDA has added a boxed warning to the label for clopidogrel (Plavix, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Aventis), the most widely sold anti-clotting medication, for patients who do not effectively metabolize the drug (i.e., poor metabolizers) and therefore may not receive the full benefits of the drug.
Pharmaceutical companies will struggle to profit from the cardiovascular disease (CVD) market over the next decade despite growing drug usage, according to Datamonitor, which predicted that the CVD pharmaceutical market will grow from $99 billion in 2008 to $107 billion in 2018.
The FDA approved the third thienopyridine agent, prasugrel (Effient, Eli Lilly/Daiichi Sankyo), in July 2009, challenging the U.S. market dominance of clopidogrel (Plavix, Bristol Myers Squibb/Sanofi Aventis). Yet, some cardiologists are being cautious about rapid, widespread adoption, and uptake has been slower than expected. Meanwhile, other options—such as reversible agents—loom on the horizon.
In heart attack patients, risk of hospital admission for bleeding increases with the number of antithrombotic drugs used. Patients with non-fatal bleeding are also much more likely to suffer repeat heart attacks or die than those without non-fatal bleeding, based on an analysis of more than 40,000 Danish patients published Dec. 10 in the Lancet
The FDA is requiring a labeling change to Sanofi-Aventis and Bristol-Myers Squibb’s blockbuster anti-bloodclotting drug clopidogrel (Plavix) to indicate that it should not be used with AstraZeneca’s proton pump inhibitor (PPI) omeprazole (Prilosec/Prilosec OTC) and some other acid-reducing drugs.
Orlando, Fla.—STEMI patients who received both aspirin and the new reversible oral antiplatelet drug ticagrelor (Brilinta; AstraZeneca) had few cardiac events and less mortality than patients on aspirin and the popular irreversible antiplatelet medication clopidogrel (Plavix; Bristol-Myers Squibb), based on the results of the PLATO STEMI trial, presented during Sunday’s late-breaking clinical trial session at the American Heart Association conference.
The Harvard Clinical Research Institute (HCRI) has reported that the first patients have been enrolled in the DAPT [dual-antiplatelet therapy] Study, marking the official initiation of the four-year clinical trial to investigate the duration of dual-antiplatelet therapy following drug-eluting stent (DES) implantations.
SAN FRANCISCO--For patients with acute coronary syndromes undergoing PCI, treatment with prasugrel compared with clopidogrel was associated with significant cost offsets—mainly derived from reductions in repeat PCI—in both the first 30 days as well as longer term treatment (median 14.7 months), based on an economic substudy of the TRITON-TIMI 38 trial presented Thursday during the late breaking clinical trials at the 2009 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) annual meeting.
The 21 st annual scientific symposium of the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) meeting will open on Monday in San Francisco. Gregg W. Stone, MD, immediate past-chairman of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, which sponsors TCT, highlighted some of the trials and important sessions at next week’s show.
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Middle age introduces itself in many ways; one is atrial fibrillation (AF). My onset of AF seems to have coincided with a mountain bike accident in the woods of North Carolina that resulted in some cracked ribs.
The use of health IT to reduce rehospitalizations will be welcome but also disruptive, said Stephen Jencks, an independent consultant in healthcare safety during a Feb. 24 webinar on the potential use of health IT to mitigate rehospitalizations, sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
A new hospital breaking ground usually isn’t breaking news. But the vision of patient care at one new facility, tentatively named Palomar Medical Center West (PMC West), is currently illegal under California state law.
There are cases presented to all physicians when we have to balance benefits of a particular treatment with concerns around safety for certain patients. In interventional cardiology, we see this dilemma with drug-eluting stents (DES). While this technology provides effective therapy for many patients with ischemia-inducing coronary lesions, there are certain patient groups that encounter problems for different reasons.