Addition of INTEGRILIN(R) (Eptifibatide) to Bivalirudin Plus Standard of Care Inhibits Platelet Aggregation in Patients Undergoing Elective Coronar...( ORLANDO Fla. Nov. 5 /- Schering-P...),Health

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Schering-Plough Corporation (NYSE: SGP) and The Sinai Center for Thrombosis Research at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore today announced results of the recently completed CLEAR PLATELETS 2 (Clopidogrel Loading with Eptifibatide to Arrest the Reactivity of Platelets) study, showing that INTEGRILIN(R), a potent glycoprotein (GP) IIb- IIIa inhibitor, significantly inhibited platelet aggregation when added to bivalirudin, compared to bivalirudin alone, in patients undergoing elective coronary stenting. Results were presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Orlando, FL.

CLEAR PLATELETS 2, designed to evaluate the effects of the addition of INTEGRILIN(R) to an antithrombotic regimen of aspirin, clopidogrel and bivalirudin in elective PCI patients, demonstrated that when added to bivalirudin, INTEGRILIN(R) significantly decreased platelet aggregation in response to multiple stimuli, thereby producing increased platelet inhibition. Results were statistically significant for all measurements of platelet aggregation induced by multiple agonists.

"The results reflect the importance of a GP IIb-IIIa inhibitor in reducing platelet aggregation," said Paul Gurbel, MD, Director of The Sinai Center for Thrombosis Research, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore; Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University, and principal investigator for the CLEAR PLATELETS 2 study. "This pharmacodynamic study supports the role of inhibition of platelet aggregation in patients undergoing elective coronary stenting," added Dr. Gurbel.

About CLEAR PLATELETS 2

CLEAR PLATELETS 2 was a randomized two-center, open label study enrolling 200 patients undergoing elective PCI wit
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