FDA approves Zontivity to reduce the risk of Heart Attack, Stroke, Cardiovascular Death- Merck & Company Inc.
The FDA approved Zontivity (vorapaxar) tablets on 8 May 2014 to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, cardiovascular death, and need for procedures to restore the blood flow to the heart in patients with a previous heart attack or blockages in the arteries to the legs.
Zontivity is the first in a new class of drug, called a protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR-1) antagonist. It is an anti-platelet agent, designed to decrease the tendency of platelets to clump together to form a blood clot. By decreasing the formation of blood clots, Zontivity decreases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Like other drugs that inhibit blood clotting, Zontivity increases the risk of bleeding, including life-threatening and fatal bleeding. Bleeding is the most commonly reported adverse reaction in people taking Zontivity. The drug�s prescribing information (label) includes a Boxed Warning to alert health care professionals about this risk.
Zontivity must not be used in people who have had a stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), or bleeding in the head, because the risk of bleeding in the head is too great.
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