A representative from Bristol Myers Squibb (note that two large drug companies market this drug) visits your office and tells you that Plavix (the generic name is clopidogrel) decreases cardiovascular events by 8.7% compared to aspirin. That sure sounds good to you, as you have lots of elderly patients at risk and many are already on aspirin. The brochure quotes the CAPRIE study, and you decide to investigate further. In this 1996 study patients on Plavix experienced cardiovascular events 9.78% of the time compared to 10.64% of the time with aspirin. Plavix was approved by the FDA based on this one study.

What % is the Experimental Event Rate (EER)?

What % is the Control Event Rate (CER)?

What is the Absolute Risk Reduction (ARR)?

Calculate the NNT - use 100 as the numerator. Do not worry about a negative or minus sign result. Example: 1.1-2.2 = 1.1 and not -1.1 when calculating NNT.

How much does Plavix cost monthly?

How much does the generic, Clopidogrel, cost monthly?

How much does the low dose (81 mg) aspirin cost monthly?

The dosage for all of these drugs is 1 tablet taken once a day.

Do the COPE Cost of Preventing Event (COPE) (pg 331 in textbook) calculations for Plavix, the generic, and aspirin (3 separate calculations) - you may use 1 year as the time interval.

What does the COPE calculation tell you?

Which drug would you be more likely to prescribe and why.

Be sure to include your actual calculations/math