Pharmacodynamic Evaluation of Pantoprazole Therapy on Clopidogrel Effects

Background—Safety concerns have recently emerged based on a drug interaction between clopidogrel and proton pump inhibitors leading to reduced pharmacodynamic effects. However, whether such drug interaction is a class effect or a drug effect and if this can be modulated by timing of drug administration remains a matter of debate. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of high-dose pantoprazole therapy, a proton pump inhibitor with low potential to interfere with clopidogrel metabolism, administered concomitantly or staggered, on clopidogrel-mediated pharmacodynamic effects. Methods and Results—This was a prospective, randomized, crossover study conducted in 20 healthy volunteers. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive pantoprazole (80 mg daily) administered concomitantly (CONC) or staggered by 8 to 12 hours (STAG) for 1 week on a background of clopidogrel therapy (600-mg loading dose followed by a 75-mg maintenance dose during all phases) in a crossover fashion with a 2- to 4-week washout peri...