Eptifibatide: a review of its use in patients with acute coronary syndromes and/or undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

Eptifibatide (Integrilin) is a highly specific, reversible, intravenously administered glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa receptor antagonist that acts at the final common step of the platelet aggregation pathway. Data from large clinical trials indicate that intravenous eptifibatide as adjunctive therapy to standard care is effective in patients with non-ST-segment elevation (NSTE) acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and/or undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In the ESPRIT (Enhanced Suppression of the Platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Receptor with Integrilin Therapy) trial in patients undergoing PCI with stenting, eptifibatide, compared with placebo, achieved significant reductions in death and ischaemic complications and was better than a strategy of reserving treatment for the bailout situation. In the large PURSUIT (Platelet IIb/IIIa in Unstable angina: Receptor Suppression Using Integrilin Therapy) trial in patients with NSTE ACS, eptifibatide was associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of death or myocardial infarction (MI) compared with placebo. Eptifibatide is well tolerated in these trials. Ongoing trials are currently investigating the efficacy and tolerability of regimens that include this agent in other indications, including ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI).