One of the combined antiplatelet agents is the drug "Plavix". Today, it is also very often used in medicine and such an analogue of Plavix as Sylt. The composition of the drug includes both clopidogrel and acetylsalicylic acid. The main effect of the pharmaceutical is aimed at inhibiting the ADP receptors responsible for the aggregation of blood cells (in particular, platelets). A distinctive feature of the drug is the irreversible binding of ADP receptors, which leads to a persistent effect on aggregation. As a result, the activity of receptors is restored only upon the death of old and the synthesis of new platelets. Such is the composition and mechanism of action of the Plavix - Zilt analog.
Clopidogrel (an analog of Plavix) is used in a dosage of 75 milligrams. From the first day of taking the drug, a significant weakening of platelet aggregation activity is noted. With the subsequent use of the drug, the effect increases. The cycle of taking a pharmaceutical drug is on average from three to seven days. After drug withdrawal, its effect is observed for another five to seven days (until most of the platelet composition is completely updated).
Salicylic acid inhibits platelet aggregation due to irreversible inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX-1). As a result, thromboxane synthesis is reduced and vasoconstriction is weakened. As in the case of clopidogrel, the effect caused remains during the life of the blood cells (platelets).
What is the Plavix analog used for and the drug itself? Most often, the use of combined antiplatelet agents is justified at a high risk of developing vascular thrombosis of any location in the presence of atherosclerotic lesions.
There is another popular analogue of Plavix - listab. However, he, like many others (klopilet, lopirel, plargil, detromb, plogrel, troken, cardutol), was not widely used in modern medical practice.
Plavix or zilt?
Most doctors are inclined to use Plavix, since its effectiveness has been proven by randomized trials. This medicine acquired evidence base in 2007 and over the past five years of active use only strengthened the title of "best drug". As for zilt, its effectiveness, as the doctors themselves note, is slightly lower than declared, therefore, it can not be compared with its analogue in terms of the quality of drug therapy. First of all, scientists believe that the low efficiency of the latter is due to the imperfection of the manufacturing process of the drug. Biophysicists, however, note some discrepancy in the molecular structure between Plavix and its analogue.
As for the price, Plavix significantly loses to Zilt. So, the price of the first is three times higher than the cost of the second. In many cases, it is the cost of the drug that necessitates the use of ineffective analogues. According to doctors of modern clinics, if you do not have the opportunity to buy expensive plavix, you should purchase a cheaper analogue of it - zilt. Completely refusing to take the drug is not recommended.
As for such a drug as "Co-Plavix", its distinguishing feature is the increased dosage of the constituent components (100 and 75 milligrams of salicylic acid and clopidogrel, respectively).
Unfortunately, to date, the manufacturing technology of the Plavix drug, as well as its constituent components, are very expensive, which leads to a high cost of the drug. Fortunately, quite good analogues of the branded drug come to the aid of poor patients.