What type of drug reduces the body's ability to form clots in the blood?

Anticoagulants are medications that work by inhibiting the clotting process in the bloodstream, thereby reducing the body’s ability to form clots. These drugs target specific factors in the coagulation cascade, preventing the formation of fibrin, which is essential for clot development. Common examples include warfarin and heparin.

While antiplatelets also reduce clot formation, they primarily work by preventing the aggregation of platelets, which is a different mechanism focused on the primary phase of hemostasis. Thrombolytics dissolve existing clots rather than preventing their formation, targeting the fibrin that has already formed a clot. Hemostatics, on the other hand, promote clotting and are used to control bleeding. Thus, anticoagulants are specifically designed to reduce the formation of blood clots in the body.