One-year clinical outcomes of ticagrelor compared with clopidogrel after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with acute myocardial infarction: From Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Data

The current status and outcomes of in-hospital P2Y12 receptor inhibitor switching in Korean patients with acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND/AIMS

While switching strategies of P2Y12 receptor inhibitors (RIs) have sometimes been used in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients, the current status of in-hospital P2Y12RI switching remains unknown.

METHODS

Overall, 8,476 AMI patients who underwent successful revascularization from Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry-National Institute of Health (KAMIR-NIH) were divided according to in-hospital P2Y12RI strategies, and net adverse cardiovascular events (NACEs), defined as a composite of cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, or thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) major bleeding during hospitalization were compared.

RESULTS

Patients with in-hospital P2Y12RI switching accounted for 16.5%, of which 867 patients were switched from clopidogrel to potent P2Y12RI (C-P) and 532 patients from potent P2Y12RI to clopidogrel (P-C). There were no differences in NACEs among the unchanged clopidogrel, the unchanged potent P2Y12RIs, and the P2Y12RI switching groups. However, compared to the unchanged clopidogrel group, the C-P group had a higher incidence of non-fatal MI, and the P-C group had a higher incidence of TIMI major bleeding. In clinical events of in-hospital P2Y12RI switching, 90.9% of non-fatal MI occurred during pre-switching clopidogrel administration, 60.7% of TIMI major bleeding was related to pre-switching P2Y12RIs, and 71.4% of TIMI major bleeding was related to potent P2Y12RIs. Only 21.6% of the P2Y12RI switching group switched to P2Y12RIs after a loading dose (LD); however, there were no differences in clinical events between patients with and without LD.

CONCLUSION

In-hospital P2Y12RI switching occurred occasionally, but had relatively similar clinical outcomes compared to unchanged P2Y12RIs in Korean AMI patients. Non-fatal MI and bleeding appeared to be mainly related to pre-switching P2Y12RIs.

Comparison of Clinical Outcomes Between Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel in Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis

Background

Ticagrelor is currently recommended for patients with the acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, recent studies have yielded controversial results.

Objective

To compare the clinical outcomes between ticagrelor and clopidogrel in patients with ACS.

Methods

Three electronic databases were queried until April 25, 2021. We defined major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) as the primary efficacy endpoint. The secondary efficacy endpoints included stroke, stent thrombosis, cardiovascular death, all-cause death, and myocardial infarction. The safety endpoints were (major and minor) bleeding. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were calculated to represent the estimated effect sizes.

Results

A total of 270,937 patients with ACS from 10 clinical trials and 18 observational studies were included. No significant difference was detected in MACE (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.60–1.08, p = 0.15, I2 = 64.83%). However, ticagrelor introduced a higher risk of bleeding (1.46, 1.17–1.83, 0.00, 61.66%) and minor bleeding (1.71, 1.33–2.21, 0.00, 4.65%) in clinical trials. The results of secondary efficacy endpoints differed in the clinical trials and observational studies. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that ticagrelor showed better therapeutic effects in patients who underwent the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (0.38, 0.23–0.63, 0.00, 0) than those intended for PCI (1.03, 0.76–1.38, 0.87, 64.26%). Meanwhile, ticagrelor showed different therapeutic effects on patients with ACS of different ethnicities and different countries.

Conclusion

This meta-analysis demonstrated that ticagrelor is not superior to clopidogrel in MACE but is associated with a higher risk of bleeding in patients with ACS. Different PCI strategies, ethnicities, and countries may be the factors that contribute to different therapeutic effects of ticagrelor.

Systematic Review Registration

This study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021251212).

2020 Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology Consensus Recommendations on the Use of P2Y12 Receptor Antagonists in the Asia-Pacific Region

The unique characteristics of patients with acute coronary syndrome in the Asia-Pacific region mean that international guidelines on the use of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) cannot be routinely applied to these populations. Newer generation P2Y12 inhibitors (i.e. ticagrelor and prasugrel) have demonstrated improved clinical outcomes compared with clopidogrel. However, low numbers of Asian patients participated in pivotal studies and few regional studies comparing DAPTs have been conducted. This article aims to summarise current evidence on the use of newer generation P2Y12 inhibitors in Asian patients with acute coronary syndrome and provide recommendations to assist clinicians, especially cardiologists, in selecting a DAPT regimen. Guidance is provided on the management of ischaemic and bleeding risks, including duration of therapy, switching strategies and the management of patients with ST-elevation and non-ST-elevation MI or those requiring surgery. In particular, the need for an individualised DAPT regimen and considerations relating to switching, de-escalating, stopping or continuing DAPT beyond 12 months are discussed.

Real-World Bleeding and Ischemic Events in Asian Patients on P2Y12-Inhibitors After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A National Claims Data Analysis

Introduction

The safety and effectiveness of potent P2Y12 inhibitors in East Asians have been questioned because of the higher bleeding tendency and lower thrombotic risk in this population. We comparatively evaluated the safety, effectiveness and treatment persistence of the dual antiplatelet therapies (DAPT) with clopidogrel (CDAPT), ticagrelor (TDAPT) and prasugrel (PDAPT) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the Korean population.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted using Korean National Health Insurance claims data. In 57,197 patients treated with DAPT after PCI, the risk of bleeding events, risk of major adverse cardiac and cerebral events (MACCE: a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction [MI], stroke and revascularization), risk of net adverse clinical events (NACE) and persistence and adherence rates were assessed with stabilized inverse probability of treatment weighting.

Results

TDAPT was associated with higher risks of bleeding (1 year: hazard ratio [HR], 1.37; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28–1.46; prolonged: HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.31–1.47), MACCE (1 year: HR 1.10, 95% CI 1.03–1.18; prolonged: HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.16–1.31) and NACE (1 year: HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.18–1.29; prolonged: HR 1.31, 95% CI 1.25–1.36) than CDAPT both at 1 year and in the prolonged periods, whereas there were no significant differences between PDAPT and CDAPT. Similar results were also observed in a subgroup analysis of patients with baseline MI. CDAPT was associated with higher persistence and adherence rates than TDAPT and PDAPT.

Conclusions

CDAPT was associated with clinical outcomes that were more favorable than those in TDAPT and comparable to those in PDAPT and drug persistence and adherence that were higher than in TDAPT or PDAPT. Clopidogrel may remain a viable first option for post-PCI DAPT in East Asian patients with a low thrombotic risk and a high bleeding tendency.

Electronic Supplementary Material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s12325-020-01526-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Efficacy and safety of ticagrelor and clopidogrel in East Asian patients with coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

AIMS

The efficacy and safety of ticagrelor and clopidogrel in East Asian patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains uncertain. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of ticagrelor and clopidogrel in East Asian patients with CAD treated with PCI.

METHODS

A total of 12383 patients with CAD undergoing PCI who received dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) were consecutively enrolled in the ticagrelor group (n = 1321) and the clopidogrel group (n = 11062). Major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) and thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) bleeding events were compared according to ticagrelor or clopidogrel use were compared.

RESULTS

After propensity matching (n = 1321 in each group), ticagrelor was associated with lower incidence of MACCEs compared with clopidogrel (3.9 vs. 5.9%, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.45-0.92, p = .015). The incidence of TIMI bleeding events was higher in the ticagrelor group than in the clopidogrel group (4.5 vs. 2.9%, HR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.25-2.88, p = .024). The difference between ticagrelor and clopidogrel for net adverse clinical events was nonsignificant (4.3 vs. 4.9%, HR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.61-1.27, p = .458).

CONCLUSIONS

Ticagrelor was associated with a lower incidence of MACCEs and an increased risk of TIMI bleeding events in East Asian patients with CAD receiving PCI.

Serum interleukin-18 levels as a predictor for patients with genetic dysfunction of cytochrome P450 2C19 in dual antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel

BACKGROUND

P2Y₁₂ reaction unit (PRU) is an index of platelet activity upon treatment with clopidogrel. In spite of suitable P2Y₁₂ reactions in dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with clopidogrel after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), cardiovascular events actually occur in some patients, possibly due to a genetic dysfunction of cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19), which is a major metabolic enzyme of clopidogrel. As testing the CYP2C19 phenotypes to predict such patients may lack general versatility in daily clinical practice, the aim of this study was to examine whether measuring the blood levels of some cytokines in patients showing desirable PRUs in DAPT with clopidogrel could be a substitute for testing the CYP2C19 phenotypes.

METHODS

We analyzed relationships among PRU, serum levels of 51 cytokines, and CYP2C19 phenotypes in 22 patients receiving DAPT with aspirin and clopidogrel after PCI.

RESULTS

Seventeen, 18, and 19 of 22 patients indicated PRU ≤ 208, PRU ≤ 230, and PRU ≤ 262, respectively. Approximately 60% of the patients had a genetically metabolic dysfunction of CYP2C19, and the serum levels of interleukin-18 were independently increased in those patients (p = 0.024 in patients with PRU ≤ 208, p = 0.021 with PRU ≤ 230, and p = 0.020 with PRU ≤ 262). The area under the curves in plot receiver operating characteristics curves for the serum levels of interleukin-18 were 0.94, 0.96, and 0.90 in the non-extensive metabolizer patients with PRU ≤ 208, PRU ≤ 230, and PRU ≤ 262, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The serum levels of interleukin-18 may be a predictor to diagnose patients who receive undesirable DAPT with clopidogrel, possibly due to the genetic dysfunction of CYP2C19 in spite of suitable P2Y₁₂ reactions after PCI.

Efficacy and Safety of Ticagrelor Compared to Clopidogrel in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

The Platelet Inhibition and Patient Outcomes (PLATO) study found that ticagrelor plus aspirin (TA) was more effective than clopidogrel plus aspirin (CA), without an increase in the risk of massive bleeding in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Data from other studies indicate that the conclusion is controversial with the results obtained by PLATO.

AIM

To investigate the efficacy and safety of TA, compared with CA, in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) after PCI.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was performed in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases to compare the efficacy and safety of CA and TA treatment in patients with ACS after PCI. The endpoints were major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), death, stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), stent thrombosis, and bleeding events. The data analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software, and the odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. The standards of reporting were in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines.

RESULTS

13 studies with a total of 58,062 patients were included in this study with a subgroup analysis of the European/American and Asian populations. In terms of effectiveness for MACEs, the European, American and Asian populations benefitted more from the TA treatment than the CA treatment (European and American populations, OR = 0.82, P = 0.0002; Asian, OR = 0.66, P < 0.0001; total, OR = 0.78, P < 0.0001). In terms of specific effectiveness indicators, such as stroke, MI, and stent thrombosis, the results of TA and CA groups in the European, American, and Asian populations were not consistent. In terms of safety, there was no statistical difference in total bleeding events between TA and CA treatments (OR = 1.19, P = 0.21). However, in the Asian population, the incidence of total bleeding events (OR = 1.52, P = 0.0004) in the TA group was higher than that in the CA group.

CONCLUSION

The TA treatment in the European and American populations is more beneficial and safer than CA treatment. However, although the Asian population has this benefit, the risk of bleeding is significantly increased as well, and antiplatelet drugs should be chosen carefully.

Comparison between ticagrelor versus clopidogrel in long term outcomes of Taiwanese diabetic subjects with acute coronary syndrome undergoing successful revascularization: From TSOC ACS-DM registry

Although previous clinical trials demonstrated that ticagrelor could reduce cardiovascular events and mortality versus clopidogrel in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), the real-world evidence of its clinical impacts on East Asian Diabetic population has rarely been investigated.Between November 2013 and June 2015, 1534 patients were recruited into the Acute Coronary Syndrome-Diabetes Mellitus Registry of the Taiwan Society of Cardiology (TSOC ACS-DM registry). After propensity score matching, a total of 730 patients undergoing successful revascularization and discharged on ticagrelor (N = 365) or clopidogrel (N = 365) were analyzed. The primary and secondary endpoints were all-cause mortality and re-hospitalization, respectively. The all-cause death associated with ticagrelor vs clopidogrel was 3.6% vs 7.4% (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.34 [0.15-0.80]; P = .0138) at 24 months. The re-hospitalization rate at 24 months was 38.9% vs 39.2% (P = .3258).For diabetic patients with ACS, ticagrelor provided better survival benefit than clopidogrel without an increase of re-hospitalization in 24 months after successful percutaneous coronary intervention. This study in real-world circumstance provided valuable complementary data to externally validate platelet inhibition and patient outcomes (PLATO) finding especially in Asian diabetic population.