TREAT: Safety of Ticagrelor Comparable to Clopidogrel Following MI

Patients younger than 75 years of age who suffered an MI and were given ticagrelor did not see an increased risk for major bleeding when compared with standard blood thinners, according to new study results from the Trial to Explore the Safety and Efficacy of Ticagrelor Compared with Clopidogrel in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes. The results were presented at ACC.18 in Orlando.    

“This is the first large, international trial of ticagrelor in STEMI patients taking fibrinolytic therapy,” lead author Otavio Berwanger, MD, PhD, a clinical epidemiologist and cardiologist at the Brazilian Clinical Research Institute in Sao Paolo, said of the study. “I think doctors, some of whom are already using ticagrelor off-label, will find the results reassuring because they suggest that you can use ticagrelor in this population without causing more major bleeding or fatal bleeding than clopidogrel.”     

The study included 3,801 patients who were randomized to either a loading dose of 180 mg ticagrelor or 300 mg clopidogrel, followed by a maintenance dose of 90 mg ticagrelor twice daily or clopidogrel 75 mg/d for 1 year. The primary study endpoint was major bleeding at 30 days.     

The researchers reported no statistically significant difference between the study groups for TIMI major bleeding, thereby showing noninferiority for ticagrelor for the endpoint of major bleeding at 30 days. The researchers also reported no statistically significant differences in BARC-scored or PLATO-scored bleeding, and no difference in fatal bleeding or bleeding within the brain. A 1-year follow-up study will follow the patients and track cardiovascular outcomes, due to be reported in 2019.    

For more information about this study, visit ACC.org by clicking here