Double Plavix Dose (600mg) Reduces Risk After Stent Procedures

Today there was an order for Plavix (Clopidogrel) 600mg for a patient in the ED. Plavix is manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb, and it is an anti-clotting medication (http://www.plavix.com). Plavix blocks the ADP receptors, which prevent fibrinogen binding at that site and thereby reduce the possibility of platelet adhesion and aggregation. Usually the most common loading dose is Plavix 300mg. There is an article in the Pharmaceutical Business Review titled “Double Plavix dose reduces risk after stent procedures”. Here is the link: http://www.pharmaceutical-business-review.com/article_news.asp?guid=7FF46A1A-2F08-4F2E-8736-D6452DF44377. In the article it reports that according to a study, pretreatment with double-dose Plavix 600mg rather than the standard 300mg dose just before stenting cuts the combined risk of heart attack and cardiac death by half. In addition, the higher dose did not increase the risk of serious bleeding.
In the article it says interventional cardiologists give patients a loading dose of this medication before percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to protect against blood clotting. After the procedure, most patients take a lower daily dose (75mg) for up to a year, depending on the type of stent used to prop open the clogged coronary artery.