Antiplatelet therapies: platelet GPIIb/IIIa antagonists and beyond
Konstantopoulos, K.; Mousa, S.A.
Current Opinion in Investigational Drugs 2(8): 1086-1092
2001
ISSN/ISBN: 1472-4472 PMID: 11892918 Document Number: 531606
Accumulating evidence supports the critical role of platelet involvement in arterial thrombosis, and argues for the development of more efficacious, yet safe, antiplatelet therapies. Aspirin continues to be used routinely for the management of acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina and secondary prevention of ischemic events. Nevertheless, adverse clinical outcomes still occur. Newer-generation drugs such as clopidogrel (an adenosine-diphosphate receptor antagonist) and intravenous glycoprotein (GP)IIb/IIIa antagonists (inhibitors of platelet aggregation irrespective of the stimulus) have demonstrated significant clinical benefit. This review will discuss the role of the aforementioned antiplatelet therapies in thrombotic disorders as well as future directions in the field.