According to the new study, doctors have revealed that heart attack medications are less effective to the patients living in Maori and Pacific Island. When the patients suffering from heart attacks are admitted to the hospital, they are out on the anti-platelet drugs such as aspirin and clopidogrel which improves the flow of blood in the heart.

Researchers at Victoria University and Capital and Coast District Health Board have reported that patients do not respond equally to the drugs.

DHB cardiologist, Dr Scott Harding says, "This is an important finding as Maori and Pacific Island patients have a high rate of cardiovascular disease and poor outcomes following heart attacks. This finding could partially explain these poor outcomes."

This study has reported that the drug dosage and the presence of diabetes affected the patients response towards the drug.

It was also found out that in New Zealand, around 38% of patients do not respond to the drugs after a heart attack whereas the non-response rate of Maori and Pacific Island patients have reached up to 57 per cent.

Researchers have a new anti-platelet drug known as Prasugrel, which could help the patients of Maori and Pacific Islanders who had suffered with a heart attack.