Bristol-Meyers, sanofi's Plavix recommended for peripheral arterial disease

By Angela McDaniels

Seattle, Dec. 13 - Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and sanofi aventis Inc. said Plavix (clopidogrel bisulfate) was including in the U.S. guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral arterial disease recently released by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

In the guidelines, the anti-platelet therapy Plavix is recommended for reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke or vascular death in patients with peripheral arterial disease.

The group of drugs known as anti-platelet agents received a class 1 recommendation. Plavix is the only anti-platelet therapy approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reduce the risk of athero-thrombotic events in patients diagnosed with peripheral arterial disease, the companies said.

"An effective treatment recommended in the guidelines is anti-platelet therapy with Plavix, which helps to keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots and has been shown to reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke in patients who have been diagnosed with peripheral arterial disease," said Peter Sheehan of the Hospital for Joint Diseases Orthopaedic Institute in New York in a news release.

Peripheral arterial disease is a chronic condition affecting 12 million Americans in which the arteries in the legs become narrowed or clogged due to the formation of plaque, restricting the flow of oxygen-rich blood, the companies said. The disease may also affect arteries in the heart or brain.

Plavix is a prescription anti-platelet medicine taken once a day that helps keep platelets in the blood from sticking together and forming clots. It is marketed worldwide by sanofi-aventis of Paris and Bristol-Myers Squibb of New York.

© 2015 Prospect News.
All content on this website is protected by copyright law in the U.S. and elsewhere. For the use of the person downloading only.
Redistribution and copying are prohibited by law without written permission in advance from Prospect News.
Redistribution or copying includes e-mailing, printing multiple copies or any other form of reproduction.