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Commonly prescribed treatment options to prevent recurrent stroke include aspirin, clopidogrel, and an aspirin/dipyridamole combination. In the double-blind randomized PRoFESS trial, 20,332 clinically stable patients (age, ≥50) with recent ischemic strokes received either the fixed combination of aspirin (25 mg) plus extended-release dipyridamole (200 mg) given twice daily, or clopidogrel (75 mg) given once daily. The study was sponsored by the maker of the aspirin/dipyridamole combination (Aggrenox).
During a mean follow-up of 2.5 years, recurrent stroke occurred in 9.0% of aspirin/dipyridamole recipients and in 8.8% of clopidogrel recipients — a nonsignificant difference. The incidence of a secondary composite outcome (stroke, myocardial i…