Promoting platelet inhibitors

The use of GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) was given a boost last week, as the drugs were favorably reviewed in an article by cardiology thought leader Eric Topol.

In an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, cardiologists Topol and Deepak Bhatt of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation argued that intravenous GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors should be used to manage patients with ACS, which includes unstable angina and non-Q-wave myocardial infarction. In a review of 10 trials, they found that GPIIb/IIIa inhibition reduced death or MI versus placebo during initial medical management or after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (p=0.001 for both measures)...