clopidogrel

BOSTON -- Hemodialysis patients appear to derive no benefit in improving vascular access from clopidogrel (Plavix), a multicenter study showed.

Many patients who come to the cardiac catheterization laboratory for percutaneous coronary intervention are already taking 75mg of clopidogrel daily to prevent unwanted blood clotting.

Even so, an additional 600-mg "reloading" dose of clopidogrel significantly improves clinical outcomes without increasing the risk of bleeding -- but only in patients with acute coronary syndromes, according to the Antiplatelet Therapy for Reduction of Myocardial Damage During Angioplasty-RELOAD study.

A large community-based registry of patients treated with drug-eluting stents is providing important insight into how long patients with complex coronary artery disease typically stick to their doctors' orders to take clopidogrel, a drug that prevents unwanted blood clots; why they stop taking the drug; and the long-term consequences of that decision.