Antiplatelet Therapy

VWD and Aspirin

An acquaintance’s daughter has type 1 von Willebrand disease. Her OB physician recommends a daily baby aspirin during her pregancy. Are there any circumstances in which aspirin is indicated during pregnancy in a woman with VWD? Please provide your opinion in our Comments section below or email to [email protected]. Thank you.

Antiplatelet Therapy

AUGUSTUS Trial: Apixaban and Clopidogrel

Click or tap here to learn the results of the AUGUSTUS trial, which shows that the combination of apixaban and a P2Y12 inhibitor such as clopidogrel is safer than Coumadin and clopidogrel, Coumadin and aspirin, or apixaban and aspirin for post-PCI or acute coronary syndrome therapy.

Anticoagulant Therapy

TWILIGHT Study: Discontinue Aspirin

Click or tap here to read and hear about the TWILIGHT trial outcomes that illustrate how three months after cardiac catheterization (PCI), aspirin may be discontinued. The trial showed that ticagrelor monotherapy was equally effective and safer than tacagrelor plus aspirin.

Antiplatelet Therapy

Aspirin Presentation October 16, 2019

Click here for George’s Northeast Laboratory Conference presentation handout, “Aspirin, the 1899 Wonder Drug Lives Again,” presented October 16, 2019 in Portland, Maine.

Antiplatelet Therapy

Zontivity (vorapaxar)

I’m curious about how many of our participants monitor vorapaxar (Zontivity®, New American Therapeutics, Inc) antiplatelet therapy. Vorapaxar is the only protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR-1) antagonist that reduces thrombotic cardiovascular events in patients with a history of myocardial infarction or peripheral arterial disease, FDA-approved in 2014. Vorapaxar is used alongside dual antiplatelet therapy (aspirin and clopidogrel; aspirin and ticagrelor) […]

Antiplatelet Therapy

Aspirin Presentation June 26, 2019

Thanks to the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science for providing George with the opportunity to present “Aspirin, the 1899 Wonder Drug Lives Again,” and thanks to the many participants who came to hear the talk. Click or tap here for an updated copy of the presentation handout. George will present an expanded version on […]

Antiplatelet Therapy

Ticagrelor Antibacterial Property

Click below to see a May 9, 2019 article that links ticagrelor (Brilinta) antiplatelet therapy with its putative anti-gram-positive bacterial property, including Methacillin-resistant Staph aureus and Vancomycin-resistant enterococcus. It appears that platelets are able to sequester the drug in sites of infection. Lancellotti P, Musumeci L, Jacques N, et al. Antibacterial activity of ticagrelor in […]

Antiplatelet Therapy

New Antiplatelet Therapy

I’ve attached a pre-pub article describing a phase I trial of ACT017, a novel antiplatelet antibody fragment specific for glycoprotein VI, a platelet membrane collagen receptor. The manufacturers propose that ACT017 infusion can suppress platelet activity as part of coronary artery disease therapy with minimal bleeding risk. Clip or tap the citation for full information: […]

Antiplatelet Therapy

Aspirin Efficacy in Primary Prevention

Poor old aspirin has again lost ground. Here’s an editorial from the January, 2019 issue of European Heart Journal describing a meta-analysis of aspirin’s lack of efficacy in subjects who have no cardiovascular disease risk factors: Valgimigh M. The Remarkable Story of a Wonder Drug, Which Now Comes to an End in the Primary Prevention […]

Antiplatelet Therapy

Eptifibatide Effect on Platelet Aggregometry

Do any Fritsma Factor participants have experience with the platelet aggregation effects of eptifibatide (integrelin), or of any of the GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors. Do you have experience with the Werfen Accumetrics VerifyNow IIb/IIIa assay? If so, please comment below or email [email protected].

Antiplatelet Therapy

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George Fritsma is a medical laboratory scientist, educator, and author. George is a member of the International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis, the International Society for Laboratory Hematology, and the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science.

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