Blockbuster Anticlotting Drug Approved on Flawed Studies

Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health

Briana Mercola

Alternative Health, Health & Fitness

4.6 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 16 October 2025

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ticagrelor, a blockbuster anticlotting drug, was approved despite FDA scientists warning it looked less safe and effective than older, cheaper alternatives like clopidogrel
The landmark PLATO trial used to secure approval showed U.S. patients had worse outcomes on ticagrelor, yet those results were overridden by FDA leadership
Investigations revealed serious problems with the trial, including altered death records, missing data, and inconsistent monitoring that favored ticagrelor
Follow-up platelet studies were also misreported, with non-significant results published as significant and some listed authors denying participation
Knowing these flaws allows you to ask about proven alternatives, reduce your personal heart risk through lifestyle, and avoid dependence on drugs pushed forward with weak, flawed evidence

Transcript

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0:00.0	Is your heart medication built on evidence you can trust or on studies that fell apart under scrutiny?
0:06.4	Welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom. Stay informed with quick, easy-to-listen
0:11.0	summaries of our latest articles, perfect for when you're on the go. No reading required.
0:15.3	Subscribe for free at Mercola.com for the latest health insights. Hello and welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom.
0:22.6	I'm Ethan Foster, and today we're examining how Tycogrelor became a blockbuster anti-clotting
0:28.6	drug, despite warnings from FDA scientists, what later investigations found, and how you can
0:34.6	use this knowledge to make safer decisions.
0:36.6	I'm Alara Sky. You're going to hear why the pivotal Plato trial that unlocked global approval
0:42.6	for Ticagrelor raised red flags, how U.S. patients actually did worse on the drug than on
0:48.0	clipidigrel, and why those concerns were overridden. We'll keep this direct, fact-focused,
0:54.0	and centered on actions you can take.
0:56.4	Ticagrelor was marketed as safer and more effective than older, cheaper options, and treatment
1:02.1	guidelines followed that lead. The narrative sounded definitive, but from the start, questions
1:07.4	about data reliability and trial integrity shadowed the drug. If you or someone close to you
1:12.7	was placed on Tika Grilor, you deserve to know how that reputation was built and why it remains
1:17.5	contested. FDA analyses showed that U.S. patients had a 27% higher risk of major cardiovascular
1:24.0	events on Ticagrelor compared with Clipidigril, the exact opposite of results claimed
1:29.2	elsewhere. Astrozenica argued that higher aspirin doses in the U.S. explained the difference,
1:35.1	but FDA scientists rejected that as insufficient. If you were prescribed the drug in the U.S.,
1:41.3	you may have faced a risk profile your doctor did not realize.
1:46.0	One FDA medical officer, Dr. Thomas Marciniac, concluded after a detailed review that
1:51.8	Ticagrelor appeared inferior in both safety and efficacy and recommended against approval.
	...

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