Antiplatelet Therapy of Acute Coronary Syndrome: Current Capab Ilities

Abstract

Dual antiplatelet therapy (acetylsalicylic acid and platelet P2Y12 receptor antagonist) is a standard component of treatment of any type of acute coronary syndrome, independently of perfusion and the chosen treatment strategy. Due to certain limitations of clopidogrel as the 2nd component of dual antiplatelet therapy in patients with acute coronary syndrome and percutaneous coronary intervention, the possibility of using prasugrel or ticagrelor should be considered first. Their effectiveness is higher than clopidogrel’s, as was demonstrated in large clinical trials. As a result, prasugrel and ticagrelor were included in all major international and Russian guidelines on treatment of this category of patients with the same class and level of evidence. Currently, there’re no data from any finished large randomized clinical trials of sufficient statistical power directly comparing the effectiveness and safety of prasugrel and ticagrelor. Therefore, careful analysis of the accumulated data on the safety and effectiveness of each drug including meta-analyses and registries is necessary for providing the best care for every individual patient.