Drug Shows Major Benefits for Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

A landmark multicenter study has shown that the drug clopidogrel dramatically reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death by 20% in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Benefits were observed within hours in ACS patients admitted to the hospital, and the drug provided increasing benefit for 12 months when used with standard therapy that included aspirin. The study, called CURE, was reported in The New England Journal of Medicine (2001, 345:494-502).

A separate study, called PCI-CURE, showed that patients who undergo balloon angioplasty with or without stenting can benefit greatly from taking the drug prior to the procedure and up to one year afterward. In these patients, there was a 31% reduction in cardiovascular death or myocardial infarction. This study was published in The Lancet (2001, 358-527-533).

The CURE study involved 12,562 patients and was conducted in 482 sites in 28 countries. The primary objective was to evaluate the acute and long-term efficacy and safety of clopidogrel in combination with standard therapy (including aspirin) versus standard therapy alone in the prevention of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death.
The coordinating center for the CURE study was the Canadian Cardiovascular Collaboration Project Office, located at McMaster University (Hamilton, Canada).




Related Links:
The Lancet