Head-to-Head Study Showed Prasugrel Statistically Superior to Clopidogrel in Reducing Recurrent Cardiovascu...( New analysis of landmark study showe...),Health

New analysis of landmark study showed patients taking prasugrel had lower

risk of combined endpoint of recurrent heart attack, stroke or

cardiovascular death after first event than those taking clopidogrel

TOKYO and INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A new, pre-specified analysis of the landmark Phase III head-to-head TRITON-TIMI 38 study showed patients who took prasugrel for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) managed with an artery-opening procedure known as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and had survived their first cardiovascular event and then suffered a subsequent event, were 35 percent less likely to have a recurrent event (composite endpoint of heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death) than those who took clopidogrel (10.8% vs. 15.4%; P=0.016). These data appear as a special advance access online publication from the European Heart Journal.

The recurrence of subsequent events assessment was part of the larger TRITON-TIMI 38 trial, the primary measure of which showed that prasugrel taken with aspirin reduced the relative risk of the combined endpoint of cardiovascular death, non-fatal heart attacks or non-fatal stroke by 19 percent more than clopidogrel (Plavix(R)/Iscover(R)) taken with aspirin. These benefits were accompanied by an increased risk of serious bleeding with prasugrel overall, some of which may be life threatening. Overall, for every 1,000 people treated, there were six more TIMI major bleeding events, but 23 fewer heart attacks in patients taking prasugrel compared with patients taking clopidogrel.(1) The risk of cardiovascular death overall in the study was not statistically different between treatment groups [prasugrel (2.0%) compared with clopidogrel (2.2%)].

Additional data from this further analysis of recurrent events showed:

-- The reduction in recurrent events among prasugrel patients persisted over the duration of the trial (15 months).

-- Among patients takin
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