Advertisement Study suggests Angiomax safer for heart patients - Pharmaceutical Business review
Pharmaceutical Business review is using cookies

ContinueLearn More
Close

Study suggests Angiomax safer for heart patients

Research conducted by The Medicines Company has suggested that the anti-clotting medicine Angiomax reduces the risk of major bleeding by 47% in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Major bleeding is a key risk factor for mortality in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. The study found that Angiomax alone was more effective than when used as part of a combination of injectable drugs for ACS.

“We tested several different combinations of drug therapies and found that the simplest regimen was the best,” said Gregg Stone, director of cardiovascular research and education at Columbia University Medical Center. “Previous ACS trials have added drug on top of drug to achieve better efficacy, sacrificing safety along the way.”

Most often, there are several different drugs given to ACS patients including the standard injectable combination to prevent heart attack and death. The use of these drugs, especially when given in combination, can lead to bleeding complications in patients, which further increases the risk of death for patients.

In the study, one group was treated with heparin, another with bivalirudin and the third group was administered bivalirudin and inhibitors.

“The publication adds to a wealth of published data that demonstrate replacing heparin with Angiomax leads to better outcomes,” said John Kelley, president of The Medicines Company.