Study: Effient achieves greater platelet inhibition in Type 2 diabetes with CAD patients

ORLANDO, Fla. Patients with Type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease showed greater reduction in platelet activity in the blood when taking a new drug from Eli Lilly & Co. and Daiichi-Sankyo than those taking a competing drug, according to results of a study released Sunday.

The study evaluated 35 Type 2 diabetes patients with CAD and taking aspirin who received either a 60-mg leading dose and 10-mg maintence dose of Lilly’s Effient (prasugrel) or a 600-mg leading dose and 150-mg maintenance dose of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s and Sanofi-Aventis’ Plavix (clopidogrel).

Measured by Accumetrics’ VerifyNow P2Y12 test, patients taking Effient experienced an 89% reduction in platelet activation, compared with 28% among those taking Plavix.