New cardioprotective drug could provide for post-bypass surgery heart health

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Stent thrombosis, restenosis and lifelong prescriptions. Millions of patients have discovered that the drug-coated stents used as part of their heart operations may be having more of a detrimental effect on their health than medical experts have ever publicly acknowledged. Recent articles in medical journals suggest that unless patients who receive drug-eluting stents continue to take blood thinners, they could more than double their risk of heart attack or death.

This emerging safety controversy around drug-coated stents has some experts predicting a resurgence in heart bypass operations. The bypass operations, although more invasive and dangerous, are believed to have longer lasting benefits compared to stents.

"Doctors have been less inclined to recommend bypass surgery for their patients because of the risk associated with the procedure, most notably post-operative heart attacks," stated Dr. Bob Harrington of Duke Clinical Research Institute. "Unfortunately there are currently no approved drugs to lessen that risk."

One company that could improve bypass outcomes for patients is Medicure, Inc. The company has developed a cardio-protective drug known as MC-1 that in recent clinical trails cut the threat of post-operative heart attacks in bypass patients nearly in half. Medicure's MC-1 is currently in a late-stage clinical trial.

"MC-1 has the opportunity to be the first drug available to help the hundreds of thousands of patients undergoing bypass surgery every year," says Medicure CEO Dr. Albert D. Friesen.