Antiplatelet effects of a new sucralfate-coated aspirin formulation

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the antiplatelet effects of a 100-mg aspirin tablet coated with sucralfate 200 mg in a new formulation given once daily for 14 days to patients with platelet hyperaggregation were comparable to those produced after administration of a standard enteric-coated preparation containing the same amount of aspirin. Forty patients (23 women, 17 men), aged 30 to 70 years, were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned to either treatment group. Both drugs were administered for 14 days at a dose of one tablet daily. Platelet aggregation in the presence of adenosine diphosphate or epinephrine and thromboxane plasma levels were compared for variations within and between treatment groups at baseline, and at 7 and 14 days after treatment. Both treatments produced significant antiplatelet effects as evidenced by functional platelet aggregation studies, as well as by a reduction in thromboxane production. These effects occurred in patients randomly allocated to receive the enteric-coated as well as the sucralfate-coated aspirin formulations, thus showing the therapeutic bioequivalence of the two formulations on platelet hyperaggregation.