TRAPIDIL EFFECTIVE IN PREVENTING RESTENOSIS

Trapidil, the antithrombotic agent developed by MasterPharma of Italy (part of the Chiesi group), has been shown to reduce the risk of restenosis in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary angioplasty procedures, according to the results of the STARC study. The compound also proved to be more effective than aspirin in this indication. Data from the study was presented at the European Society of Cardiology's annual congress in Nice, France, on August 30.

Trapidil, or triazolopyrimidine, combines antiplatelet activity of a potency equivalent to aspirin with inhibition of platelet-derived growth factor, which is believed to be an important factor in the reocclusion of blood vessels. PDGF is known to be released from platelets after the trauma of angioplasty, and is thought to stimulate fibrocellular neointimal proliferation which leads to reocclusion.

Although PTCA has led to the complete "healing" of many hundreds of thousands of patients, the treatment is nevertheless associated with a varying but consistent rate (between 35% and 40%) of dilated lesions returning a few months after the procedure. The reason for this high rate is that the initial damage to the endothelium of the blood vessel creates an environment which requires healing, and if this repair process is excessive a new narrowing of the artery occurs. A number of substances released from platelets and other cells are known to stimulate migration and proliferation of cells from the inner layers of the vessel wall to the damaged surface.