Blood-thinning drug seen as aid in heart attack care

CHICAGO -- A large new study found that a blood-thinning drug already available in Europe and Asia improves the chances of surviving a heart attack, while a simple, sugar-based solution that once looked promising does nothing to help victims.

The mixed results involve two low-tech treatments that researchers have hoped could help ease the global impact of heart attacks, which kill more than 7 million people worldwide each year. The research was conducted on more than 20,000 people in India, China, and Latin America.

Patients on the blood thinner reviparin had a 13 percent lower risk of dying, having another heart attack, or having a stroke within 30 days after being stricken, compared with patients given injections of dummy medication.