( Aggrenox® (Asasantin® Retard) ...)New Research Confirms the Benefit of Extended-Release Dipyridamole,Plus ASA for Preventing Recurrent Stroke in Low- and High-Risk,Patients,Health

Aggrenox® (Asasantin® Retard) considered by many as first-line in secondary stroke prevention

INGELHEIM, Germany, 31 May 2007 - New data presented today at the 16th European Stroke Conference in Glasgow confirm that therapy with dipyridamole plus ASA (extended-release dipyridamole plus ASA is marketed as Aggrenox® or Asasantin® Retard) is superior to ASA* alone in preventing new vascular events in patients who had a TIA or minor ischaemic stroke, irrespective of their baseline risk.1

The new meta-analysis of five clinical trials compared 3,800 patients who were treated with dipyridamole plus ASA with 3,812 patients who received ASA alone. Most of the patients received dipyridamole as an extended-release formulation. For the overall population, dipyridamole plus ASA was significantly more effective than ASA alone in preventing recurrent stroke, with a relative reduction of 22 percent (hazard ratio 0.78; 95 percent CI 0.68–0.90). The combined endpoint of vascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction and non-fatal stroke was significantly reduced by 18 percent (hazard ratio 0.82; 95 percent CI 0.72–0.92). Dipyridamole plus ASA was equally beneficial in subgroup analyses of patients who were hypertensive or had previous ischaemic heart disease. Benefit was also seen in all baseline risk strata as assessed with two different risk scores.

Co-author of this investigation, Professor Ale Algra, University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands commented: "This new meta-analysis confirms that the combination of ASA and dipyridamole is more effective than ASA alone in patients with TIA or ischaemic stroke of presumed arterial origin. This means that in the secondary prevention of stroke, stroke patients can benefit from the combination treatment with dipyridamole plus ASA independent of their underlying risk."

The largest trials included in the meta-analysis we
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