Tirofiban was launched as Aggrastat in Switzerland and the US for
patients with unstable angina or non-Q-wave myocardial infarction to prevent
cardiac ischemic events. Tirofiban is synthesized from (S)-tyrosine by a fourstep
process. Tirofiban is a novel highly potent antiplatelet agent that inhibits the
interaction of fibrinogen with GPⅡb/Ⅲa, an activated platelet membrane-bound
glycoprotein complex. It prevents arterial thrombus formation in a dosedependent
manner. Clinical efficacy was highly significant with an absolute and
relative risk reduction. In these studies, treatment with tirofiban was well
tolerated, without significant adverse effects.
