I. Ticlid Fact File

Ticlid was manufactured by Roche Pharmaceuticals.

The founder of Roche, Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche, was a pioneering entrepreneur who was convinced that the future belonged to branded pharmaceutical products. He was among the first to recognize that the industrial manufacture of standardized medicines would be a major advance in the fight against disease.

This led him to found F. Hoffmann-La Roche & Co. on October 1st 1896. From the very beginning, Fritz Hoffmann attached great importance to product information as the link between the pharmaceutical manufacturer and doctors, pharmacists and patients. Shortly after the foundation of the company, affiliates were opened in Germany, Italy, France, the US, Great Britain and Russia.

Since then, Roche has grown into one of the world's leading healthcare companies and one of the most important in Europe.

II. Ticlid Medication

Generic Ticlid (ticlopidine) belongs to the class of medications called antiplatelets. Ticlid medication works by preventing certain types of blood cells, called platelets, from sticking together to form a blood clot.

Ticlid medication is used to reduce the risk of stroke for people who have had a stroke or have particular risk factors for stroke.

Antiplatelet Drugs: Information

Antiplatelet drugs are a group of powerful medications that prevent the formation of blood clots.

When you are wounded, platelets arrive on the scene and group together forming a blood clot that stops the bleeding. In many situations, this is a good thing. But, platelets can also aggregate when injury to a blood vessel occurs, like during atherosclerosis. In this situation, the platelets cause blood clots to develop in an already stressed artery. Antiplatelet medications can prevent this process from occurring.

Antiplatelet drugs protect against myocardial infarction, stroke, cardiovascular death and other serious vascular events in patients with a history of previous vascular events or known risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Aspirin is the most common antiplatelet drug. Other antiplatelet drugs commonly used to treat heart disease include Plavix and Ticlid.

Platelets: Information

Platelets, also called thrombocytes, are small, colorless, irregularly shaped bodies that are present in the blood.

Diagram 1: Platelets

Their sticky surface lets them, along with other substances, form clots to stop bleeding. Platelets play a vital role in hemostasis, the prevention of blood loss. When the lining of a blood vessel is traumatized, platelets are stimulated to go to the site of the injury where they form a plug that helps reduce blood loss.

Platelets are not cells, but are tiny fragments of other cells. The life span of a platelet, once it is released into the circulatory system, is approximately five to nine days. Normal platelet counts range from 150,000 to 400,000 per cu/ml. Certain stem cell disorders may cause an increase in platelets, a condition called thrombocytosis. Increased bleeding or clotting can occur in thrombocytosis. A decrease in the platelet count is thrombocytopenia. It can be caused by diseases that affect platelet production or by excessive platelet destruction. Thrombocytopenia makes the individual more susceptible to bruising and/or increased bleeding.

Young platelets are more effective in achieving and maintaining hemostasis, the process carried out by the body to maintain blood in the vascular system. Old, damaged and non-functional platelets are removed by the spleen.

The hemostatic process prevents blood loss from ruptured blood vessels through the following processes:

1. Vascular spasm
2. Platelet function
3. Blood coagulation, or clotting

The first and most immediate hemostatic response to blood vessel injury is vascular spasm, a rapid constriction of small arteries and arterioles. The second response is the formation of a platelet plug. The final response is the initiation of the coagulation cascade, which leads to fibrin production and the formation of a fibrin clot. Together, all the responses help prevent blood loss.

Diagram 2:

Platelets perform two functions in coagulation. First, a clot begins to form when blood is exposed to air. The platelets sense the presence of air and begin to break apart and react with a protein called fibrinogen to form a temporary plug that covers the break in the blood vessel lining. Next, the platelets bind (adhesion) to each other, releasing agents, which recruit and activate surrounding platelets. The result of these two processes is the formation of fibrin, which stabilizes the platelet plug, stops bleeding and allows injuries to heal.

Calcium and Vitamin K must be present in blood to support the formation of clots. If the blood is lacking these nutrients, it will take longer for the blood to clot. A healthy diet provides most people with enough vitamins and minerals although, in some instances, vitamin supplements are sometimes needed.

Not all blood clots are good. If a small clot forms in an unbroken blood vessel in the brain, blocking the flow of blood to the cells, these brain cells may begin to die, causing a stroke.

Platelets are transfused to:

• treat bleeding disorders due to a low platelet count
• replace abnormal platelets
• replace platelets destroyed by disease or other conditions

Platelets are obtained using two methods. They are collected for transfusion from a unit of whole blood or by plateletpheresis. In a plateletpheresis donation, only the platelets are collected from the donor with the rest of the donor's blood being returned to him or her.

Side effects of Antiplatelet Drugs

Antiplatelet medication may cause the following side effects:

• Allergic reaction (swelling, problems breathing, itching or skin rashes)
• Nausea, indigestion or stomach pain
• Unusual bleeding or bruising
• Ringing in ears
• Bloody urine
• Convulsions or seizures

Side effects can be worse in people with asthma and allergies.

People with bleeding problems, ulcers or are planning to undergo surgery, including dental surgery, should talk to their doctor before taking these drugs as they may cause excessive bleeding.

Uses of Antiplatelet drugs

Antiplatelets are used to treat:

• Coronary artery disease (Coronary artery disease is atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries. Atherosclerosis is when the arteries become clogged and narrowed, restricting blood flow to the heart. Without adequate blood, the heart becomes starved of oxygen and vital nutrients it needs to work properly).
• Heart attack (If taken while an attack is in progress or within 30 minutes of symptoms, antiplatelets may reduce heart damage.)
• Angina (chest pain)
• Stroke and mini-strokes
• Peripheral artery disease

Antiplatelets are also used:

• After angioplasty
• After heart bypass surgery
• To prevent the formation of blood clots in people with atrial fibrillation

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III. Useful links

http://www.cdc.gov/

http://www.fda.gov/

http://www.fda.gov/cder/ogd/

http://www.nih.gov/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/

National Library of Medicine

World Health Organization

http://www.mayoclinic.com/index.cfm

MedicineNet.com

Drugdigest.org

Healthsquare.com

http://www.rocheusa.com/products/index.html

http://www.roche.com/home/company/com_hist.htm

http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/178_11_020603/han10033_fm.html

http://my.webmd.com/content/pages/9/1675_57843.htm

http://www.newenglandblood.org/helping/platelets.htm

Pharmacy sites

http://www.roche.com/home/company/com_hist.htm

http://www.healthdigest.org/Bactrim-DS(Oral)_2006_PRO.php

http://www.hsforum.com/stories/storyReader$1509

http://www.hsforum.com/stories/storyReader$1516

http://www.hsforum.com/stories/storyReader$1504

http://www.people.vcu.edu/~urdesai/atc.htm#Process%20of%20clotting

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