Six-Month EPILOG Data Reveal Sustained Benefits

The previously-reported benefits of treating angioplasty patients with Eli Lilly/Centocor's glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonist ReoPro (abciximab or c7E3; Marketletters passim) are extended through six months, according to new data from the EPILOG study.

EPILOG (Evaluation of PTCA to Improve Long-term Outcome by c7E3 GP IIb/IIIa Receptor Blockade) compared ReoPro and low-dose heparin with standard-dose heparin plus placebo in their ability to reduce mortality, myocardial infarction and the need for urgent revascularization procedures. The new data were presented at a meeting held just prior to the 69th American Heart Association meeting in New Orleans.

The patients in the study were given a bolus plus a continuous 12-hour infusion of the study agents or placebo. Those receiving ReoPro were then randomized to either standard- or low-dose, weight-adjusted heparin. Patients in the placebo arm received the standard treatment of weight-adjusted heparin.