Comparison of Two Platelet Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitors, Tirofiban and Abciximab, for the Prevention of Ischemic Events with Percutaneous Coronary Revascularization

Tirofiban has less efficacy than abciximab in preventing ischemic events after stenting. Percutaneous coronary revascularization for atherosclerotic disease, most of which includes coronary stenting, is one of the most frequent medical procedures, with more than 1.5 million procedures performed worldwide in 2000. 1 Over the past decade seven large, randomized, placebo-controlled trials involving a total of 16,770 patients who underwent percutaneous interventions have established that the overall reduction in the risk of death or nonfatal myocardial infarction 2 – 9 30 days after adjunctive inhibition of platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptors is 38 percent. Three glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors were assessed in these trials. Each agent has distinctly different binding characteristics, 10 specificity for the IIb/IIIa integrin, and . . .