Prasugrel for the Treatment of Acute Coronary Syndromes and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Status Update on the Problem

Prasugrel is a third-generation thienopyridine that provides earlier onset of action, has a reduced probability of insensitivity to the drug, a greater degree of inhibition of ADP-induced platelet aggregation compared to clopidogrel. Prasugrel should be proscribed to the following categories of patients: 1) patients with ST-segment elevation ACS who undergo primary percutaneous coronary interventions; 2) patients with ST-segment elevation ACS, who underwent thrombolysis, but scheduled to receive delayed PCI; 3) patients with non ST-segment elevation ACS with a known coronary anatomy, which are scheduled to receive PCI; 4) patients who had stent thrombosis due to clopidogrel resistance. Prasugrel may be considered in patients with stable coronary artery disease if they are at high risk of stent thrombosis after a planned PCI. One should avoid prescribing this drug to patients with a history of stroke or TIA, as well as to patients 75 years or older, with body weight less than 60 kg. The best results for the use of prasugrel are expected in patients younger than 60 years old, with ST segment elevation MI, concomitant diabetes mellitus, creatinine clearance of at least 60 ml / min. The article also discusses current ideas about the «de-escalation» of prasugrel therapy, presents recently published data on the comparative efficacy and safety of prasugrel and ticagrelor.