Advances in therapy
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Dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel is a cornerstone of the management of patients with acute coronary syndromes and following percutaneous coronary intervention. Despite the proven benefits, clear limitations of clopidogrel exist. ⋯ The promising results seen with prasugrel in large, randomized trials led to its recent approval by the US Food and Drug Administration for reducing thrombotic cardiovascular events in patients with acute coronary syndromes managed with percutaneous coronary intervention. This article will review the limitations of standard antiplatelet therapy and discuss the clinical application of prasugrel.
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Advances in therapy · Nov 2009
Nebulized formoterol provides added benefits to tiotropium treatment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The use of one or more long-acting bronchodilators is key in the maintenance therapy of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This analysis pooled the results of two double-blind studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of adding nebulized formoterol fumarate inhalation solution (FFIS) to maintenance tiotropium (TIO) treatment. ⋯ The addition of FFIS to maintenance TIO treatment for moderate to severe COPD results in significantly improved FEV(1) and dyspnea, decreased rescue medication use, and a lower incidence of AEs and COPD exacerbations. The addition of FFIS to TIO yields clinically and statistically significant benefits for COPD patients and might be of long-term benefit.