Professor Zhengmin Chen and his team from Oxford University have found that combining anti-clotting drug Clopidogrel to aspirin to heart attack patients may have more good effect in saving lives compared to single drug medications. Anti-clotting drugs help in thinning of blood during a heart attack and help in removing clots and do not have any serious side effects of bleeding.
Researchers studied the effect of this combination drug on 45,800 patients by giving this combination drug it was found that the combination reduced the overall death by 7% compared to placebo receiving only aspirin a reduction of 9% was found in reduction of repeat heart attacks and stroke.Dr Zhengmin Chen said, "If early clopidogrel therapy was given in hospital to just one million of the 10 million patients who have a heart attack every year, then it would, on present evidence, prevent about 5,000 deaths and 5,000 non-fatal heart attacks and strokes and a continue treatment of clopidogrel after hospital discharge could lead to further net gains, although the benefits and hazards of more long-term therapy are still under investigation."
Professor Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director, British Heart Foundation said, "This is the most recent of several studies that have shown that clopidogrel has benefits for patients with vascular disease and its use is already well established for patients with unstable angina and this study confirms that it is safe and effective also in heart attacks."
Source: BBC News.
