Pharmacy researcher receives grant to examine blood clot prevention therapies

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Maya Chilbert, PharmD, clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice in the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, received a Cardiology Practice and Research Network seed grant from the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP).

The award will support research on the safety and effectiveness of triple therapy regimens to prevent blood clotting in patients with coronary artery disease (heart disease) and atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat), and venous thromboembolism – a condition where blood clots form in deep veins.

The findings will provide guidance to health care practitioners for selecting the best strategy for treatment, as well as help identify high-risk patient populations.

“The results of this study will help identify a medication regimen that will be effective, but, most importantly, lower patients risk of bleeding, which is upwards of 30% in patients on this combination therapy,” says Chilbert.

Data will be examined from patients at two large health systems in New York State: Montefiore Medical Center in New York City and Kaleida Health in the Buffalo-Niagara region.

Investigators will survey triple therapies that utilize blood thinners, aspirin and P2Y12 inhibitors – medications that obstruct a protein key to causing blood platelets to clump. Researchers will also compare the bleeding rates of patients using various blood thinners, and the incidence of blood clots, stroke, heart attack and death.

Co-investigators on the study are David Jacobs, PharmD, PhD, assistant professor, and Ashley Woodruff, PharmD, clinical assistant professor, both in the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; and Mark Sinnet, PharmD, director of clinical and educational pharmacy services, and Pavel Goriacko, PharmD, clinical pharmacy manager of clinical care, both at Montefiore Medical Center.