Drugs & Medication

An antiplatelet drug is a member of a class of pharmaceuticals that decreases platelet aggregation and inhibits thrombus formation. They are effective in the arterial circulation, where anticoagulants have little effect.

They are widely used in primary and secondary prevention of thrombotic cerebrovascular or cardiovascular disease.

Choice of antiplatelet drug

A recent review [1] states: "....low-dose aspirin increases the risk of major bleeding 2-fold compared with placebo. However, the annual incidence of major bleeding due to low-dose aspirin is modest—only 1.3 patients per thousand higher than what is observed with placebo treatment. Treatment of approximately 800 patients with low-dose aspirin annually for cardiovascular prophylaxis will result in only 1 additional major bleeding episode." Further, "...the cost to prevent one major GI bleeding episode from aspirin in 1 year by substituting clopidogrel therapy would be $1,216,180..."

Antiplatelet drugs

The most important antiplatelet drugs are:

• Cyclooxygenase inhibitors
  • Aspirin
• Adenosine diphosphate receptor inhibitors
  • Clopidogrel (Plavix)
  • Ticlopidine (Ticlid)
• Phosphodiesterase inhibitors
  • Cilostazol (Pletal)
• Glycoprotein IIB/IIIA inhibitors (intravenous use only)
  • Abciximab (ReoPro)
    Eptifibatide (Integrilin)
    Tirofiban (Aggrastat)
• Adenosine reuptake inhibitors
  • Dipyridamole (Persantine)

See also

• Anticoagulant drug