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Prasugrel: Clinical development and therapeutic application

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Abstract

Dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel is a cornerstone of the management of patients with acute coronary syndromes and following percutaneous coronary intervention. Despite the proven benefits, clear limitations of clopidogrel exist. Prasugrel is a third-generation thienopyridine antiplatelet agent with pharmacologic characteristics that overcome some of the limitations of clopidogrel, but at the expense of increased bleeding. The promising results seen with prasugrel in large, randomized trials led to its recent approval by the US Food and Drug Administration for reducing thrombotic cardiovascular events in patients with acute coronary syndromes managed with percutaneous coronary intervention. This article will review the limitations of standard antiplatelet therapy and discuss the clinical application of prasugrel.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cardiac Study Center, 1901 South Cedar St., Suite 301, Tacoma, WA, 98405, USA

    Daniel R. Guerra

  2. Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, 2424 Erwin Road, Ste. 403, Durham, NC, 27705, USA

    James E. Tcheng

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  1. Daniel R. Guerra
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  2. James E. Tcheng
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Correspondence to Daniel R. Guerra.

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Guerra, D.R., Tcheng, J.E. Prasugrel: Clinical development and therapeutic application. Adv Therapy 26, 999–1011 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-009-0081-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-009-0081-y

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