EC approves AstraZeneca’s Brilique at a new 60mg dose
Posted: 19 February 2016 | | No comments yet
After the first year, patients with a history of heart attack can now continue to be treated with Brilique at the lower dose of 60mg twice daily…
The European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorisation to AstraZeneca’s Brilique (ticagrelor) at a new 60mg dose for the treatment of patients who have suffered a heart attack at least one year prior and are at high risk of developing a further atherothrombotic event.
Treatment may be started as continuation therapy after an initial one-year treatment with Brilique 90mg and aspirin or other dual anti platelet therapy.
Commenting on the announcement, Sean Bohen, Executive Vice President, Global Medicines Development and Chief Medical Officer at AstraZeneca, said: “A growing body of evidence continues to show that the risk of experiencing a subsequent cardiovascular event continues beyond the first year after a patient has a heart attack. We are committed to finding new treatment solutions for these patients who remain at risk, and today’s approval is an important step forward in meeting this need.”
Approval based on results from the PEGASUS TIMI-54 study
Brilique is an oral antiplatelet treatment that works by inhibiting platelet activation. Brilique 90mg is already approved in the EU for the prevention of atherothrombotic events in adults with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). In the management of ACS, the recommended maintenance dose of Brilique is 90mg twice daily during the first year after an ACS event.
Now, after the first year, patients with a history of heart attack can continue to be treated with the lower dose Brilique 60mg twice daily, which should be taken with a daily maintenance dose of aspirin of 75-150mg.
The EU approval was based on the results from the PEGASUS TIMI-54 study, a large-scale outcomes trial involving more than 21,000 patients. The study showed that Brilique significantly reduced the primary endpoint of CV death, MI or stroke compared to placebo.
The announcement follows the approval last year of Brilinta (ticagrelor) 60mg by the US Food and Drug Administration, to be used in patients with a history of heart attack beyond the first year.
