Clopidogrel Plus Aspirin Promising in Stroke Prevention
This is the Medscape Neurology Minute. I am Dr. Alan Jacobs. Ten percent to 20% of people who have transient ischemic attack (TIA), or minor stroke, have a subsequent major stroke within 3 months. The standard therapy in this situation is currently aspirin alone. Now, researchers from the Tiantan Hospital in China have published the results of a phase 3 clinical trial comparing clopidogrel with aspirin vs aspirin alone in this intervention. The trial screened more than 41,000 people in 114 clinical sites and randomly assigned 5170 people who were hospitalized after suffering a TIA or stroke into 2 groups, treated for 3 months with either aspirin alone or aspirin plus clopidogrel. The results showed that 8.2% of patients taking both drugs suffered a subsequent stroke in the 3 months of follow-up compared with 11.7% of patients taking aspirin alone. If the results of this Chinese trial are confirmed by an ongoing trial in the United States, referred to as POINT (Platelet Oriented Inhibition in New TIA or minor ischemic stroke), the researchers feel that this 2-drug combination could become the standard of care in anyone with a TIA or minor ischemic stroke. This has been the Medscape Neurology Minute. I'm Dr. Alan Jacobs.
Abstract
This is the Medscape Neurology Minute. I am Dr. Alan Jacobs. Ten percent to 20% of people who have transient ischemic attack (TIA), or minor stroke, have a subsequent major stroke within 3 months. The standard therapy in this situation is currently aspirin alone. Now, researchers from the Tiantan Hospital in China have published the results of a phase 3 clinical trial comparing clopidogrel with aspirin vs aspirin alone in this intervention. The trial screened more than 41,000 people in 114 clinical sites and randomly assigned 5170 people who were hospitalized after suffering a TIA or stroke into 2 groups, treated for 3 months with either aspirin alone or aspirin plus clopidogrel. The results showed that 8.2% of patients taking both drugs suffered a subsequent stroke in the 3 months of follow-up compared with 11.7% of patients taking aspirin alone. If the results of this Chinese trial are confirmed by an ongoing trial in the United States, referred to as POINT (Platelet Oriented Inhibition in New TIA or minor ischemic stroke), the researchers feel that this 2-drug combination could become the standard of care in anyone with a TIA or minor ischemic stroke. This has been the Medscape Neurology Minute. I'm Dr. Alan Jacobs.
Abstract
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