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Blood Thinner Xarelto Shows Promise for Heart Patients
Posted 13 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
SUNDAY, Nov. 13 – When added to standard treatment, a new blood-thinning drug called Xarelto (rivaroxaban) may help people with "acute coronary syndrome" lower their risk of death, subsequent heart attack or stroke, a new study finds. Acute coronary syndrome is an umbrella term that includes people with angina or prior history of heart attack. The finding "opens up a new area for treating this very common condition," said study co-author Dr. Eugene Braunwald, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. The study could help Xarelto expand the ranks of common blood thinners, which for decades were dominated by old standbys such as warfarin (Coumadin) or, more recently, Plavix (clopidogrel). Xarelto is currently approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration to treat an abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation and ... Read more
Related support groups: Acute Coronary Syndrome, Xarelto
FDA approves blood-thinning drug Brilinta to treat acute coronary syndromes
Posted 20 Jul 2011 by Drugs.com
July 20, 2011 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the blood-thinning drug Brilinta (ticagrelor) to reduce cardiovascular death and heart attack in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). ACS includes a group of symptoms for any condition, such as unstable angina or heart attack, that could result from reduced blood flow to the heart. Brilinta works by preventing the formation of new blood clots, thus maintaining blood flow in the body to help reduce the risk of another cardiovascular event. Brilinta has been studied in combination with aspirin. A boxed warning to health care professionals and patients warns that aspirin doses above 100 milligrams per day decrease the effectiveness of the medication. "In clinical trials, Brilinta was more effective than Plavix in preventing heart attacks and death, but that advantage was seen with aspirin maintenance doses of 75 ... Read more
Related support groups: Acute Coronary Syndrome
Experts Support FDA Panel's Backing of New Blood Thinner
Posted 29 Jul 2010 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, July 29 – Following a federal health panel's endorsement of the new blood thinner Brilinta Wednesday, cardiologists say the drug could be a welcome addition to treatments for heart patients. In a 7-to-1 vote, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee recommended approval of the drug for heart patients undergoing angioplasty or stenting to open blocked arteries, and for those not requiring such interventions but being managed with drug therapy alone. The panel's nod was partly based on the results of a clinical trial, called PLATO, that pitted ticagrelor (Brilinta) against the current standard anticoagulant, clopidogrel (Plavix). In that trial, Brilinta was found to be more effective than Plavix, with similar risks, for patients with acute coronary syndrome. The syndrome covers a variety of symptoms, from chest pain to heart ... Read more
Related support groups: Acute Coronary Syndrome
Newer Blood Thinner Beats Plavix for Bypass Patients
Posted 16 Mar 2010 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, March 16 – In a trial comparing two anti-clotting drugs, patients given Brilinta before cardiac bypass surgery were less likely to die than those given Plavix, researchers found. Both drugs prevent platelets from clumping and forming clots, but Plavix, the more popular drug, has been linked to potentially dangerous side effects in cancer patients. In addition, some people don't metabolize it well, making it less effective. "We did see about a 50 percent reduction in mortality in these patients [who took Brilinta], but without any increase in bleeding complications," Dr. Claes Held, an associate professor of cardiology at the Uppsala Clinical Research Center at Uppsala University in Sweden and the study's lead researcher, said during an afternoon press conference Tuesday. "Ticagrelor (Brilinta) in this setting, with acute coronary syndrome patients with the potential need for ... Read more
Related support groups: Plavix, Platelet Aggregation Inhibition, Acute Coronary Syndrome, Acute Coronary Syndrome -- Prophylaxis
New Anti-Clotting Drug Outperforms Plavix
Posted 14 Jan 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 13 – A new clot-busting drug, Brilinta, may soon take the place of Plavix in treating patients with acute coronary syndrome, which includes angina and heart attack. In a new trial, the upstart drug, ticagrelor (Brilinta) reduced the risk of second heart attacks and death without raising the risk of bleeding, as clopidogrel (Plavix) can do. "For people with acute coronary syndrome, this very well may replace Plavix," said study author Dr. Christopher Cannon, a cardiologist with Brigham and Women's Hospital and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, both in Boston. "This is pretty compelling evidence from this trial that ticagrelor is better without any increased risk of bleeding." An accompanying editorial concurred, while also pointing out that, as always, a "personalized approach to drug selection should be used." The study is published in the ... Read more
Related support groups: Plavix, Ischemic Stroke, Heart Attack, Myocardial Infarction, Ischemic Stroke -- Prophylaxis, Acute Coronary Syndrome
New Anti-Clotting Drug Beats Plavix
Posted 12 Jan 2010 by Drugs.com
SUNDAY, Aug. 30 – A new anti-clotting drug, ticagrelor (Brilinta), was better than than clopidogrel (Plavix) in preventing new heart attacks and in reducing deaths among patients who have had a heart attack, a new study finds. "Clopidogrel is widely used in the treatment of acute coronary syndrome," said lead researcher Dr. Robert A. Harrington, director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute at Duke University. "Ticagrelor looks to be a superior antiplatelet agent in patients with acute coronary syndrome." Co-researcher Dr. Lars Wallentin, a professor of cardiology at the Uppsala Clinical Research Center at University Hospital, in Sweden, added that "now we have a new and better alternative to standard treatment to prevent patients with myocardial infarction from new myocardial infarction, and also to improve their chances of survival." The report is published in the Aug. 30 online ... Read more
Related support groups: Heart Attack, Myocardial Infarction, Acute Coronary Syndrome
Newer Blood Thinners May Outperform Old Standbys
Posted 1 Dec 2009 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 18 – After years of little progress, three new trials suggest that the latest generation of blood thinners may outperform the old standbys warfarin and clopidogrel (Plavix). In one study, dabigatran etexilate (marketed as Pradax in Canada and Pradaxa in Europe; it is not yet approved in the United States) proved to be safe in preventing blood clots when patients were treated for acute coronary syndrome, a cluster of symptoms that might indicate a heart attack. "Dabigatran seems to be safe on top of dual antiplatelet therapy [meaning aspirin and Plavix]," said study author Dr. Jonas Oldgren, chief physician in the department of cardiology at Uppsala University Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden. "It has already been shown to have superior efficacy compared with warfarin." A previous trial had demonstrated that dabigatran outperformed warfarin in preventing strokes in patients ... Read more
Related support groups: Coumadin, Plavix, Warfarin, Clopidogrel, Prevention of Thromboembolism in Atrial Fibrillation, Acute Coronary Syndrome, Jantoven
Effient Sanctioned for Angioplasty Patients
Posted 10 Jul 2009 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, July 10 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the Eli Lilly blood-thinner Effient (prasugrel) to prevent clots in people who have an artery-clearing procedure called angioplasty. Angioplasty involves inserting a balloon-like device into a clogged artery to open the vessel. The procedure is usually followed by insertion of a stent, a wire mesh tube designed to keep the artery open. But blood platelets tend to gather around the stent, increasing the risk of a clot that could lead to a heart attack or stroke. In a study involving 13,608 people, the percentage of those who had subsequent non-fatal heart attacks was reduced from 9.1 percent among people who took the blood-thinning drug Plavix (clopidogrel) to 7.0 percent among those who took Effient, the FDA said in a news release. But the agency warned that people taking Effient were at greater risk for serious, and ... Read more
Related support groups: Acute Coronary Syndrome
When Chest Pain Requires Quick Action in ER
Posted 20 May 2009 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, May 20 – Only one-third of the people who come to a hospital with the intense chest pain that doctors call acute coronary syndrome should be assessed for artery-opening procedures within a few hours, a new Canadian study finds. The rest are at lower risk for a heart attack and won't be harmed by waiting a day or two, the researchers added. There is often an issue about whether such assessment and treatment is needed quickly, said Dr. Shamir R. Mehta, director of interventional cardiology at McMaster University in Ontario and lead author of a report in the May 21 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. "Settling this issue is very important, and that is why the study was done." Acute coronary syndrome may mean "anything from a threatened heart attack all the way to a full-blown heart attack," Mehta said. "If it is not a full-blown heart attack, the patient may respond ... Read more
Related support groups: Acute Coronary Syndrome
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