Taking blood thinner Plavix along with aspirin appears to prevent stroke and heart attacks in people with irregular heartbeat that puts them at risk of these problems, according to data presented Tuesday at the American College of Cardiology meeting and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

 

The study involved 7,554 patients in the United States and other 32 other countries who were not able to take warfarin for their atrial fibrillation. Warfarin is the classic treatment for this condition, which affects more than 2.2 million Americans. But the drug is not well-tolerated by some patients and it is also known for its increased risk for internal bleeding. The patients were given either a combination of Plavix sold by Bristol-Myers and aspirin or aspirin alone.

 

After nearly four years, Plavix plus aspirin lowered heart attacks, heart-related deaths, strokes and blood clots by 11 percent. There were 924 of these problems in patients on aspirin alone but only 832 in those also getting Plavix.

 

Risk of stroke alone decreased by 28 percent, according to Dr. Stuart Connolly, head of cardiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and the lead investigator of the study. “The real exciting news was stroke was reduced by 28 percent. Eleven percent reduction is interesting, but the 28 percent stroke reduction really got our attention,” he said.

 

Plavix was approved in the United States in 1997. The drug was Bristol-Myers’ top-selling drug in 2008, with sales of $5.6 billion or 27 percent of revenue for the NewYork-based company.