Summary
Platelets play an important role in atherothrombotic disease, as well as in the pathogenesis
of atherosclerosis and in complications. Antiplatelet therapy with Clopidogrel represents
at present an important treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD), especially in
and after acute coronary syndromes (ACS), and after coronary interventions when stents
are used. Clopidogrel is a potent and specific inhibitor of platelet ADP receptor
(P2Y12 receptor) with high antithrombotic activity. Emerging data suggest that a significant
percentage of individuals treated with Clopidogrel do not receive the expected therapeutic
benefit because of a decreased responsiveness of their platelets, which is caused
by several extrinsic and/or intrinsic mechanisms. As long as Clopidogrel is the “gold
standard” in combination with aspirin in the treatment of patients undergoing percutaneous
coronary intervention and stent implantation, the overall challenge is to develop
a fast “point-of-care” assay to detect Clopidogrel resistance early and to enable
alternative antithrombotic strategies in non-responders or low-responders. This test
should be easily performed (bedside) and reproducible, with a standardized definition
of response, which is known to correlate with clinical outcomes. Unfortunately, such
a test does not exist at present. As an alternative, new ADP receptor antagonists
with better bioavailability and improved pharmacokinetics, e.g. intestinal reabsorption
as an active drug or 1:1 conversion into an active metabolite thus reducing individual
variations, are in development and have already found their way into clinical use
in phase-3 trials. Prasugrel is one of the incoming new drugs with high expectations,
but other agents might follow in the near future.
Keywords
ADP receptors - platelet pharmacology - Clopidogrel resistance