| Super Aspirin Study Outcomes For the past five years or so, pharmaceutical companies have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to prove that the new "super aspirins" (IIb/IIIa antagonists) are the new wonder drugs for heart and stroke patients. Unfortunately, each of the five major studies thus far suggests that, far from saving lives, the treatment is killing patients. The director of two of the studies estimates that up to 200 patients have died from the experimentation. The patient deaths appear to be related to excessive blood clotting, which is unfortunate, since the drug is supposed to work by blocking the clot mechanism. The prevailing theory of why so many patients die is that the body adapts to the drug's effects by lowering the clotting threshold. When blood levels of the drug become low (for example, just before the patient takes their next dose), clots form much easier than normal. So far, about 42,500 volunteers have participated in super-aspirin studies. Another study of DuPont's version (Roxifiban) is expected to recruit 2,000 more volunteers by the end of this year. Associated Press, January 27, 2001. |
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