Acid blockers, anti-clotting drug don’t mix well

Washington, March 4: Spotting another incidence of wrong drug interactions, Plavix, a potent blood thinner, often prescribed to cardiacdefine patients might actually raise their risk of second attack by 25 percent.

Washington, March 4: Spotting another incidence of wrong drug interactions, Plavix, a potent blood thinner, often prescribed to cardiacdefine patients might actually raise their risk of second attack by 25 percent.

A new study cautions that patients face the risk if they are already taking a class of drugs called the Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) used to correct stomach reflux.

Pharmacology, Plavix (clopidogrel), made by Sanofi-Aventis SA and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, makes blood platelets less sticky, thus preventing blood clots, whereas, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), also known as acid-blockers, are used to treat GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and other conditions involving excessive stomach acid. Common proton pump inhibitors include AstraZeneca Plc’s Nexium and Prilosec.

The results featuring in the March 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association derive its evidence from a large-scale study involving 8,205 acute coronary syndrome patients.

All patients were hospitalized between October 2003 and January 2006 upon complains of heart attack or unstable angina. Upon discharge, they were prescribed Plavix, an anti-clotting dug. Of the lot, 63.9 percent were already taking either of the acid-blockers.

During the 17-month follow-up, 29.8 percent of patients taking the anti-clot-anti-acid combo died or were readmitted, as opposed to 21 percent of those taking only the anti-clotting drug, Plavix.

Statistically, patients on the combination therapy had a 25 percent increased risk of dying or being re-hospitalized with a second cardiac arrestdefine than patients who took Plavix alone, researchers tabulated.

"Our study highlights a potential interaction between clopidogrel and PPI medication. And it suggests that maybe PPI medication should not just be prescribed routinely or prophylactically in patients who are on aspirin and clopidogrel", lead researcher of the study, Dr. P. Michael Ho, a cardiologist at the Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center, asserted.

"The proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) neutralize more than stomach acid" he marked.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration has ordered a safety review to track potential interactions of these two commonly prescribed medications.

While it would take several months before the final conclusion is out, until then physicians are urged to clearly evaluate the benefits of the combo therapy as against its associated risks.