page_title: Clopidogrel
section_title: Marketing and litigation
hierarchical_section_title: Clopidogrel / Marketing and litigation
caption_attribution_description: A box of Plavix
context_page_description: Clopidogrel, sold under the trade name Plavix among others, is an antiplatelet medication used to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke in those at high risk. It is also used together with aspirin in heart attacks and following the placement of a coronary artery stent. It is taken by mouth. Onset of effects is about two hours and lasts for five days.
  Common side effects include headache, nausea, easy bruising, itching, and heartburn. More severe side effects include bleeding and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. While there is no evidence of harm from use during pregnancy, such use has not been well studied. Clopidogrel is in the thienopyridine-class of antiplatelets. It works by irreversibly inhibiting a receptor called P2Y₁₂ on platelets.
  Clopidogrel was patented in 1982, and approved for medical use in 1997. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. In 2017, it was the 40th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 19 million prescriptions.
context_section_description: Plavix is marketed worldwide in nearly 110 countries, with sales of US$6.6 billion in 2009. It was the second-top-selling drug in the world in 2007 and was still growing by over 20% in 2007. U.S. sales were US$3.8 billion in 2008.
  Before the expiry of its patent, clopidogrel was the second best-selling drug in the world. In 2010, it grossed over US$9 billion in global sales.
  In 2006, generic clopidogrel was briefly marketed by Apotex, a Canadian generic pharmaceutical company before a court order halted further production until resolution of a patent infringement case brought by Bristol-Myers Squibb. The court ruled that Bristol-Myers Squibb's patent was valid and provided protection until November 2011. The FDA extended the patent protection of clopidogrel by six months, giving exclusivity that would expire on 17 May 2012. The FDA approved generic versions of Plavix on 17 May 2012.
  Generic clopidogrel is marketed by many companies worldwide under many brand names.
caption: A box of Plavix
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