Antiplatelet agents

Antiplatelet agents are medicines that reduce the ability of platelets to stick together (called platelet aggregation) and inhibit the formation of blood clots.

Antiplatelet agents play a major role in the treatment and prevention of myocardial infarction (heart attacks), stent thrombosis, and ischemic stroke (strokes caused by a blood clot).

Antiplatelet agents can be divided into three major types:

• glycoprotein platelet inhibitors (eg, abciximab, eptifibatide, tirofiban)
• platelet aggregation inhibitors (eg, aspirin, cangrelor, cilostazol, clopidogrel, dipyridamole, prasugrel, ticlopidine, ticagrelor)
• protease-activated receptor-1 antagonists (eg, vorapaxar).