While aspirin primarily an analgesic has been used to treat many ailments, a new study suggests that a "superaspirin" dose could even give heart-attack victims a new lease of life especially when used before any surgery.
Findings presented at a conference of the European Society of Cardiology suggests that a dose of drug Plavix (chemically known as clopidogrel) when given to heart attack patients as they proceed for emergency procedures reduced by half the risks of a stroke or a repeat attack or even death within a month of angioplasty. The drug that is routinely given to patients due to undergo angioplasty for its property of preventing blood coagulation, helps doctors who insert a minute flexible tube that is inflated inside a blood vessel that attracts clotting.
The study’s lead author Dr. Marc Sabatine of Boston’s Brigham & Women's Hospital and his team evaluated 1,863 victims of heart-attack and the 300 mg dose of Plavix. They found that 6.3 percent of those getting the dose during their angioplasty suffered another attack, stroke or other complications within a month, whereas only 3.6 percent of those who received the dose hours before the procedure suffered such problems. Clearly one in 23 patients was benefited by receiving the dose well ahead of angioplasty, in the process saving them from fatal heart problems soon after the surgical procedure.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Chief of Cardiology, Dr. Sidney Smith outlining the significance of the findings said, "You know that if you pre-treat, you are going to get better results". However, the downsides are for small minority who need to eventually opt for coronary-bypass surgery is that they have to wait nearly a week for the drug to leave their system given the risk of bleeding during surgery.
Plavix, marketed by Sanofi-Aventis SA and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., is already a popular post-angioplasty drug and understood to be the fourth-biggest-selling drug in the world having selling over a value of $5 billion every year. But for the 2 million people worldwide who go through coronary angioplasty every year, the drug given in addition to the usual treatment of aspirin raises the hope of successfully beating heart disease and living to see the results.
Though partly sponsored by the manufacturers themselves, the study clearly provided evidence of the beneficial results of pre-treatment irrespective of age, sex or even cases of delayed angioplasty. Meanwhile Plavix’ two manufacturers can hope that the findings get well accepted by the medical fraternity to modify the current manner of treatment, even as they combat similar drugs from generic manufacturers who would like to have a share of the Plavix pie.
