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Aggrastat cuts heart attack risk after angioplasty

Tue Sep 2, 2008 5:00am EDT

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MUNICH, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Patients undergoing procedures to clear blocked arteries who respond poorly to standard medicines can reduce their risk of heart attack by having injections of Aggrastat, researchers said on Tuesday.

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The latest results with Aggrastat, which is sold by Medicure (MPH.TO) in the United States and by Iroko Pharmaceuticals in other markets, were announced at the annual European Society of Cardiology congress.

Marco Valgimigli, a cardiologist from the University of Ferrara, Italy, said the drug could help reduce risk of blood clots among those patients unable to take standard oral anti-platelet therapies, such as aspirin or clopidogrel.

Clopidogrel, one of the world's top-selling drugs, is marketed as Plavix by Sanofi-Aventis (SASY.PA) and Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY.N).

The Aggrastat trial studied 263 patients who were poor responders to aspirin or clopidogrel and who underwent coronary angioplasty -- a procedure which involves inserting and inflating tiny balloons into vessels to widen narrowed arteries.

Two days after treatment, 20.4 percent of patients treated with Aggrastat had suffered a heart attack, compared to 35.1 percent of patients treated with placebo. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; editing by Rory Channing)

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