Clopidogrel
PlavixPubChem CID 60606 · 3D model
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Stops platelets from sticking together by permanently blocking the receptor that tells them to clump, so blood flows more freely through narrowed or injured arteries.
How it works
Clopidogrel doesn't do anything on its own — the liver has to convert it into an active form first. That active form then locks onto a receptor on platelets (the blood cells that clump together to form clots) and shuts down the signal that tells them to stick to each other. Because this lock is permanent, each platelet stays switched off for the rest of its roughly 7-to-10-day life, so the blood-thinning effect builds up over the first few days of taking the drug. The end result is fewer dangerous clots forming in arteries that are already narrowed or damaged.
What it’s used for
Used to lower the risk of another heart attack or stroke in people who've recently had a heart attack, a stroke, or who have narrowed arteries in the legs (peripheral artery disease). It's also given — usually together with aspirin — to people who've just had a heart attack or been hospitalized with unstable chest pain, including those who've had a stent placed.
- Mechanism
- P2Y12 receptor antagonist
- Drug class
- Small molecule
- Therapeutic area
- Antiplatelet