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WASHINGTON (AP) - The popular blood-thinning drug Plavix received expanded federal approval Thursday to prevent the sudden blockage of arteries that can lead to heart attack, stroke and death.
The approval means Plavix may be used to treat patients who have had a type of severe heart attack called acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI, and who are not going to have angioplasty to clear blocked arteries, the Food and Drug Administration said.
The sudden, total blockage of an artery can provoke the type of heart attack. An estimated 500,000 Americans suffer such heart attacks each year, according to the American Heart Association.
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