Brilinta significantly reduced the rate of the composite of stroke and death in patients who had an acute ischaemic stroke or TIA in the phase III THALES trial.- AstraZeneca

Detailed results from the positive Phase III THALES trial showed AstraZeneca’s Brilinta (ticagrelor) 90mg used twice daily and taken with daily aspirin for 30 days, reduced the rate of the primary composite endpoint of stroke and death by 17% (HR 0.83 [95% CI 0.71, 0.96], p=0.02), compared to aspirin alone in patients who had an acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). This was a statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction. Furthermore, aspirin plus Brilinta significantly reduced the rate of the first secondary endpoint of ischaemic stroke by 21%, compared to aspirin alone up to day 30. The risk for severe bleeding events was 0.5% in the aspirin plus Brilinta group and 0.1% in the aspirin group. The results were in line with the known safety profile of Brilinta. Dr. Clay Johnston, lead investigator for the THALES trial and Dean of the Dell Medical School at The University of Texas in Austin, US, said: “About one in four stroke survivors go on to experience a second stroke, and the risk is particularly high within the first month after the initial event. Early treatment is important to prevent a subsequent stroke that may be disabling or fatal. It is also expected to improve long-term outcomes.” See-"Ticagrelor and Aspirin or Aspirin Alone in Acute Ischemic Stroke or TIA"- S. Claiborne Johnston, M.D., Ph.D., Pierre Amarenco, M.D., Hans Denison, M.D., Ph.D., Scott R. Evans, Ph.D., Anders Himmelmann, M.D., Ph.D., Stefan James, M.D., Ph.D., Mikael Knutsson, Ph.D., Per Ladenvall, M.D., Ph.D., Carlos A. Molina, M.D., Ph.D., and Yongjun Wang, M.D. for the THALES Investigators.-July 16, 2020 N Engl J Med 2020; 383:207-217 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1916870.