Adding PPI to Plavix doubles the risk of heart attack or ACS hospital readmission

Heart attack patients on the blockbuster anti-clotting drug Plavix (clopidogrel) have nearly double the risk of suffering another  myocardial infarction if they are also taking a proton pump inhibitor.

According to a study in the March 4 issue of Journal of the American  Medical Association, following an acute coronary syndrome such as a  heart attack or unstable angina, patients who receive a PPI to reduce  the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding associated with the use of the  antiplatelet drug and aspirin, have an increased risk of subsequent  hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome or death.

For the makers of the drug, French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Aventis  and US drug major Bristol-Myers Squibb, this is the latest setback to  their $8.1 billion-a-year product.