Anti-Clotting Drug May Prevent Repeat of Strokes, Heart Attacks
From Times staff and wire reports
A new anti-clotting drug called clopidogrel is more effective than aspirin in preventing strokes, heart attacks and vascular death in patients who have already had a stroke or heart attack, researchers reported Wednesday at a meeting of the American Heart Assn. in New Orleans. The three-year study included 19,185 patients who received either clopidogrel or aspirin.
Previous studies have shown that aspirin reduces the incidence of strokes and heart attacks by 27%. The new study showed that clopidogrel reduced the incidence of adverse effects by an additional 8.7%. The team observed no significant adverse effects from the drug.
