Both tirofiban and abciximab are generally well tolerated in patients undergoing coronary procedures, a multinational study has shown. The TARGET (do tirofiban and ReoPro [abciximab] give similar efficacy outcomes trial) was conducted in 18 countries and involved 4,812 patients with either stable coronary artery disease or unstable angina. The trial was designed to evaluate whether tirofiban could be used as an alternative to abciximab at the start of coronary stenting procedures. Patients undergoing angioplasty and coronary stent placement to reopen clogged arteries were randomised to receive either a rapid injection of tirofiban (10µg/kg intravenous bolus) followed by an 18-24-hour infusion (0.15µg/kg/min) or abciximab (0.25mg/kg intravenous bolus) followed by a 12-hour infusion (0.125µg/kg/min to a maximum of 10µg/min). Patients also received aspirin, heparin and clopidogrel. TARGET evaluated the relative efficacy of the two drugs. The primary end point of the study was the combined incidence at 30 days of death, non-fatal heart attack and urgent repeat cardiac procedures. Adverse cardiac outcomes will be evaluated at six months and at one year. Professor Eric Topol (Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, US) said that both tirofiban and abciximab were found to be well tolerated. He also said that the "two treatment regimens were not shown to be comparable in this setting". The study showed that abciximab led to "significantly fewer cardiac outcomes in these patients" than did tirofiban.