Los Angeles Times, "Anti-clot drugs urged with coated stents"

          Patients who have received a drug-coated stent to prop open an artery face double the risk of heart attack or death after they stop taking an anti-clotting drug, researchers said Tuesday. The findings mean patients may need to stay on medication beyond the three to six months currently recommended and possibly for the rest of their lives, scientists said.
          The study, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, was the latest to connect drug-coated stents to an increased risk of deadly blood clots. It was published online by the Journal of the American Medical Assn.
         A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee is scheduled to meet Thursday and Friday to consider how to address mounting safety concerns. Among the questions the FDA wants answered is whether the devices are safe enough to remain on the market, and if so, how broadly they should be used.