A new study from the Cardiocentro Ticino Foundation has found that a type of medicine called P2Y12 inhibitors may protect people with heart disease better than aspirin—and without causing more serious bleeding.
Aspirin is often used to help people who have problems with their blood vessels. It helps prevent heart attacks and strokes by making it harder for blood clots to form.
For people who have a serious heart condition called acute coronary syndrome, doctors usually give both aspirin and a P2Y12 inhibitor together for a short time. This is called dual antiplatelet therapy, or DAPT. After that, the person usually keeps taking aspirin for life.
Past research has shown that one of the P2Y12 inhibitors, called clopidogrel, may do a slightly better job than aspirin at preventing heart-related problems. The new study looked at how well three different P2Y12 inhibitors (clopidogrel, prasugrel, and ticagrelor) worked compared to aspirin in people who already had coronary artery disease.
The study involved 24,325 people. Half were given P2Y12 inhibitors, and the other half were given aspirin. The average age of the participants was 64, and about 22% of them were women. Doctors followed them for about a year and a half.
The results showed that people taking P2Y12 inhibitors had fewer heart attacks and strokes than those taking aspirin. The overall risk of these events was 12% lower in the P2Y12 group. Even more impressive, the risk of heart attacks alone was 23% lower.
Many people worry about bleeding when taking medicine that affects blood clotting. But this study found that people on P2Y12 inhibitors did not have a higher risk of serious bleeding. In fact, they had fewer cases of stomach bleeding and fewer strokes caused by bleeding in the brain.
This means P2Y12 inhibitors might be a better and safer long-term treatment option than aspirin for people with coronary artery disease. The lead researcher, Professor Marco Valgimigli, believes this new information could help improve the way doctors treat heart disease.
The study’s findings may lead to changes in medical guidelines and give doctors another way to better protect patients who are at risk of heart attacks and strokes.
If you care about heart health, please read studies that yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease, and coconut sugar could help reduce artery stiffness.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that Vitamin D deficiency can increase heart disease risk, and results showing vitamin B6 linked to lower death risk in heart disease.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
