ADDING CLOPIDOGREL TO DAILY ASPIRIN MAY NOT REDUCE RISK OF SECOND STROKE

HealthDay (8/30, Reinberg) reports, "Adding the clot-busting drug Plavix [clopidogrel] to a daily dose of aspirin is no better than taking aspirin alone to prevent a second stroke in people who have had a type of stroke that is typically caused by chronic high blood pressure," according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

MedPage Today (8/30, Petrochko) reports, "In the halted SPS3 trial, dual antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel and aspirin did not significantly reduce recurrent stroke risk at follow-up compared with aspirin alone (2.5% versus 2.7%) at a hazard ratio of 0.92 (95% CI 0.72 to 1.16)." But, "compared with aspirin alone, dual therapy almost doubled the risk of major bleeding (HR 1.97 95% CI 1.41 to 2.71, P<0 .001=".001" 1.14="1.14" 1.52="1.52" 2.04="2.04" 95="95" all-cause="all-cause" and="and" ci="ci" div="div" mortality="mortality" p="0.004)." to="to">

POSTED BY: Steven Almany M.D.