Product Description

Clopidogrel, sold as the brandname Plavix among others, is a medication that is used to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke in those at high risk. It is also used together with aspirin in heart attacks and following the placement of a coronary artery stent (dual antiplatelet therapy). It is taken by mouth. Onset of effects is about 2 hours and lasts for 5 days.

Common side effects include headache, nausea, easy bruising, itching, and heartburn. More severe side effects include bleeding and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. While there is no evidence of harm from use during pregnancy, such use has been poorly studied. Clopidogrel is in the thienopyridine-class of antiplatelet agent. It works by irreversibly inhibiting a receptor called P2Y₁₂, on platelets.

Clopidogrel was first written about in 1982 and was approved for medical use in 1998. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. The wholesale cost in the developing world is about 0.77 to 31.59 USD per month. In the United States a month of treatment costs less than 25 USD.

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