Jan 27, 2020: High-level results from the Phase III THALES trial showed AstraZeneca’s Brilinta (ticagrelor) 90 mg used daily two times a day and taken with aspirin for 30 days, reached a statistically considerable and clinically meaningful reduction in the risk of the primary composite endpoint of the stroke and death, compared to aspirin alone.
THALES was conducted in more than 11,000 patients who had a minor acute ischaemic stroke or high-risk transient ischaemic attack (TIA) in the 24 hours prior to treatment initiation.
The initial safety findings in the THALES trial were reliable with the known profile of Brilinta, with an increased bleeding rate in the treatment arm.
The full THALES trial results will be presented at the forthcoming medical meeting.
Brilinta is approved in over 110 countries for the treatment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and in over 70 countries for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular (CV) events among high-risk patients who have experienced a heart attack.
Stroke: Stroke is the second main cause of death worldwide, with 6.2 million stroke-related deaths in 2017, from which 2.7 million were due to ischaemic stroke.
Patients who experience an acute ischaemic stroke or TIA are at high risk of the developing subsequent ischaemic events, with predominantly high risk within 30 days after the initial event and highest risk period being the first 24 hours after the initial event.
THALES:THALES is an AstraZeneca-sponsored, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, international, multicentre, event-driven trial involving more than 11,000 patients in order to test the hypothesis whether Brilinta and aspirin is superior to aspirin alone in preventing composite of the stroke and death in patients with minor acute ischaemic stroke or high-risk TIA. https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2020/brilinta-met-primary-endpoint-in-phase-iii-thales-trial-in-stroke-27012020.html
