Doctors find drug that is better than aspirin at preventing heart attacks
Doctors have found a drug that is better than aspirin at preventing heart attacks and strokes, in a discovery that could transform health guidelines worldwide.For decades, millions of people have been advised to take aspirin to reduce their risk of experiencing a serious cardiovascular event.A daily low-dose aspirin makes blood less sticky and helps prevent heart attacks and strokes.But now a new study, presented at the world’s largest heart conference, has found that clopidogrel, a commonly prescribed blood thinner, is more effective – and with no extra risk.The stunning discovery was revealed at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Madrid, with the data behind the findings simultaneously published in the Lancet medical journal.
The international team of medics behind the study, from countries including the US, UK, Australia, Switzerland and Japan, said the results showed that clopidogrel was “superior” to aspirin and should lead to “extensive adoption” of the drug in clinical practice worldwide,Their comprehensive analysis of nearly 29,000 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) found that clopidogrel was better than aspirin in preventing serious heart and stroke events, without increasing the risk of major bleeding,CAD is the most common form of heart disease and a leading cause of death and disability globally,More than 300 million people live with CAD, including 2,3 million in the UK.
It occurs when arteries in the heart become narrowed by a buildup of atheroma, a fatty material within their walls.The pain or discomfort felt from such narrowing is called angina and if a blockage occurs, it can cause a heart attack.The findings challenge the longstanding recommendation of aspirin as the default treatment for preventing serious cardiovascular events in hundreds of millions of CAD patients.CAD often requires lifelong treatment to prevent heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular death.Aspirin has traditionally been prescribed indefinitely for patients with the condition.
However, the evidence supporting aspirin’s long-term benefits and safety has been limited.The new analysis of seven clinical trials found that patients taking clopidogrel had a 14% lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events – including heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death – compared with those taking aspirin.Importantly, the rates of major bleeding issues in patients were similar between the two drugs, dispelling concerns that clopidogrel might lead to more bleeding complications.Writing in the Lancet, the study team said: “This comprehensive synthesis of available evidence indicates that, in patients with CAD, long-term clopidogrel monotherapy offers superior protection against major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events compared with aspirin, without an excess risk of bleeding.“The superior efficacy of clopidogrel v aspirin was consistent across multiple key subgroups, including individuals with clinical features predictive of poor clopidogrel responsiveness, supporting the generalisability of these findings to the broad spectrum of patients with CAD.
“These results support a preference for clopidogrel over aspirin for chronic antiplatelet monotherapy for patients with stable CAD,The widespread availability, generic formulation and affordability of clopidogrel further supports its potential for extensive adoption in clinical practice,”The analysis drew from diverse patient groups, including those who had undergone procedures such as stent placement or had experienced acute coronary syndrome, and examined various subgroups to ensure the findings applied broadly,Notably, even patients who might respond less well to clopidogrel as a result of genetic or clinical factors still benefited from its use over aspirin,The results suggest that clopidogrel should be considered the preferred long-term anti-platelet medication for patients with CAD.
Because both medications are widely available, the findings have the potential to influence clinical guidelines worldwide and improve patient outcomes.Further research on the cost-effectiveness of clopidogrel, as well as broader population studies, will be needed to support changes in treatment standards.Prof Bryan Williams, the chief scientific and medical officer at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Aspirin is a commonly prescribed drug to help prevent repeat heart attacks and strokes.This research suggests that clopidogrel, an alternative to aspirin, might be more effective at preventing recurrent heart attack or stroke.“Importantly, these benefits come without a greater risk of major bleeding.
These findings are likely to impact the medications doctors prescribe to their patients to reduce their risk of future heart problems,”
UK court freezes £150m of assets of collapsed Prax Lindsey oil refinery owner
A court has frozen £150m of assets belonging to the owner of the collapsed Prax Lindsey oil refinery, an oil tycoon whose whereabouts have been a mystery since the plant’s sudden financial implosion earlier this year.Administrators sifting through the wreckage of five companies in the Prax empire are suing Winston Soosaipillai, better known by his middle names Sanjeev Kumar, for breach of his duties as a director after the energy group’s failure.On Wednesday freshly published court filings revealed that a judge at the high court in July granted the companies’ request for a “freezing injunction” against Soosaipillai.The order prevents him from removing from England and Wales, or selling, assets up to the value of £150m. If he fails to comply, he can be imprisoned or fined or his assets can be seized
Energy users ‘could save £5bn a year’ if gas plants are removed from market
The government could save energy users £5bn a year by overhauling the electricity market to stop gas-fired power stations from setting the wholesale price for electricity, according to the former energy tsar.Britain relies on gas plants for about a quarter of its annual electricity use, but they play a much greater role during spells of low wind and low solar generation.Removal of gas plants from the market could lead to a drop in household electricity bills by up to £1.7bn a year by 2028, according to a research report. Energy costs for businesses and industrial users could fall by £3
Rescue plan at Thames Water is still too murky | Nils Pratley
The wannabe new owners of Thames Water say they are “fully committed to a new transparent and collaborative relationship with regulators”. Jolly good. Unfortunately, this embrace of transparency does not appear to extend to the poor old customers.At this late stage in the dance to decide Thames’s future, you’d expect London & Valley Water – the banner under which the consortium of creditors now sail – to opt for straight-talking and openness. Their pitch to rescue Thames, after all, rests on the analysis that they are the folk to inject the necessary pragmatism into a company that has lived a hand-to-mouth existence for years while promoting fantasy turnaround plans
Lush closes all its UK stores in protest over starvation in Gaza
The cosmetics retailer Lush has closed its UK shops, factories and website in protest over starvation in Gaza.A statement appeared on its website and on posters on shop windows on Wednesday, which read: “Stop starving Gaza, we are closed in solidarity”, while its flagship spa on London’s Oxford Street was marked as “temporarily closed” on Google Maps.In an interview with LBC radio, the co-founder Mark Constantine said the company’s estimated losses as a result of the closure would be about £300,000. While offering his support for the decision, he added: “It would be nice to be able to pay for food to go into Gaza, rather than just sacrificing [profits].”The statement released on the Lush website asks for customers’ forgiveness for any inconvenience, but says that “many of our customers share the same anxiety about the situation in Gaza”
Bank chief warns against ‘exaggerating’ rise in UK borrowing costs
The governor of the Bank of England has cautioned against “exaggerating” the impact of a steep rise in the UK’s long-term borrowing costs, which he said was part of a global trend.Andrew Bailey told MPs the Treasury had continued to borrow at the same interest rate for most of the year despite a rise in the rate on 30-year bonds to a 27-year high.Bailey’s intervention will bring some relief to Rachel Reeves, who is under pressure from rising debt financing costs ahead of a budget which on Wednesday she set for 26 November.The governor said the government’s switch to borrowing over five or 10 years rather than 30 years meant its borrowing costs had remained flat this year, and commentators should not “over-focus” on the figure.“There is a lot of dramatic commentary on this but I wouldn’t exaggerate the 30-year bond rate,” he said
Hackers linked to M&S breach claim responsibility for Jaguar Land Rover cyber-attack
A group of English-speaking hackers linked to the Marks & Spencer cyber-attack has claimed responsibility for an attack on Jaguar Land Rover.A channel on the Telegram platform posted a screenshot of what appeared to be the carmaker’s internal IT systems, as well as a news article detailing the hack.The name of the Telegram channel is a combination of three English language speaking, or western-based, hacking groups known as Scattered Spider, Lapsus$ and ShinyHunters.Scattered Spider, a collective of teenage and twentysomething hackers, has been blamed for attacks this year on British retailers M&S, Co-op and Harrods. Four people including three teenagers were arrested at UK addresses in July as part of an investigation into the retail cyber-attacks
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