Dr. Thomas Mathew and Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare Team Up for Great Results

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Dr. Thomas Mathew and the clinical research department at Slocum Dickson Medical Center in conjunction with Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare (FSLH), recently completed the PLATO study (Platelet Inhibition and Patient Outcomes), which was presented to the European Society of Cardiology Congress in 2009 and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The PLATO study, was an international outcomes trial that enrolled more than 18,000 patients in 43 countries with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) to compare the efficacy of the drug ticagrelor versus the current standard of care for heart attack patients, which is aspirin plus clopidogrel. This study was recently recognized by the American Heart Association as one of the ten landmark cardiovascular trials of 2009.

“The study established significant reductions in all the endpoints including death, heart attacks and strokes over a one year period without any increase in bleeding,” said Dr. Mathew. “This drug is expected to provide physicians a very powerful tool in the management of heart attacks.”

Based on this study, AstraZeneca has applied for approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market ticagrelor under the name “Brilinta.”

“PLATO is a landmark clinical trial in cardiology,” Dr. Mathew said. “Once it is approved by the FDA, ticagrelor will certainly improve outcomes in heart attack patients, thus benefiting the heart health of our community”

About Dr. Thomas Mathew

Dr. Mathew is a graduate of the University of Kerala Medical School in India. He has more than 20 years of medical experience and is board certified. His work includes time at Brown University/The Miriam Hospital, The University of Massachusetts/St. Vincent Hospital, and the University of Pennsylvania/Department of Pathobiology. He currently is in practice at Slocum-Dickson Medical Group and is a member of the Society for Cardiac Angiography and Intervention, and the American College of Cardiology. He can be reached at (315) 798-1508.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of meaningful prescription medicines and supplier for healthcare services. AstraZeneca is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of $31.6 billion and is a leader in gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infectious disease medicines. For more information about AstraZeneca, please visit: www.astrazeneca.com

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Aida Mariani
Media Relations / Communications Specialist
Faxton St. Luke's Healthcare
1676 Sunset Avenue
Utica, NY 13502-5475