Scientists find a way to overcome cases of genetic resistance to Plavix
Overactive platelets can make an individual more prone to dangerous events related to blood clots, but one can buy Canadian Plavix (clopidogrel) to help avoid a heart attack or stroke.
Overactive platelets can make an individual more prone to dangerous events related to blood clots, but one can buy Canadian Plavix (clopidogrel) to help avoid a heart attack or stroke. However, some people carry a gene that makes their platelets unresponsive to clopidogrel. New research from Boston demonstrates that the effects of this genetic variation can be overcome by higher doses of the drug.
Between 25 and 45 percent of the population carry one non-functioning copy of the gene CYP2C19, which renders treatments with clopidogrel ineffective. In order to see if higher doses of the drug would have an effect, a team of researchers conducted an experiment on 247 non-carriers of the defective gene, as well as 80 people who carried one copy and six subjects who had two.
People in the first group went through regimens of 75 and 150 milligrams (mg) of clopidogrel, while carriers were treated with 75, 150, 225 and 300 mg of the drug.
Results showed that among subjects carrying one defective gene, 225 mg of clopidogrel is as effective as 75 mg for a non-carrier. While higher doses of the drug can improve platelet behavior in individuals who had two defective genes, not even the highest doses could fully achieve the desired effect, as published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
This research can guide future clinical studies, the researchers said.
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