Thousands to benefit with new anti-clotting drug recommendation, says NICE
pharmafile | August 12, 2016 | News story | Medical Communications, Sales and Marketing | AstraZeneca, Brilique, ticagrelor
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published new draft guidance recommending AstraZeneca’s Brilique (ticagrelor) for people who’ve had a heart attack for a further three years to reduce the risk of further heart attack and stroke, updating previous guidance of only 12 months.
A high dose of Brilique is currently recommended for 12 months post-heart attack. The new guidance recommends a lower dose for a further three years to further eliminate the risk.
In 2012/13, there were around 140,000 hospital admissions for heart attacks in England. People who have a heart attack are at a higher risk of further incidences of heart attack or stroke. Brilique is a platelet aggregation inhibitor that has been shown to reduce the risks of such thrombotic events.
The £1 a pill tablet is recommended to be taken twice daily, with aspirin, for up to three years for people who have had a heart attack at least 12 months ago, and who remain at high risk.
Professor Carole Longson, health technology evaluation centre director at NICE, says: “Despite the availability of effective secondary prevention treatments as many as a quarter of people who have had a heart attack go on to have another heart attack or stroke – often with devastating consequences.
“Fear of recurrence can have a significant negative impact on a person’s quality of life. The evidence shows that ticagrelor, in combination with aspirin, is effective at reducing the risk of further heart attacks and strokes in people who have already had a heart attack. In provisionally recommending ticagrelor we are pleased to be able to increase the treatment options available to the many thousands of people who stand to benefit from it.”
NICE also indicates that due to limited data on Brilique’s efficacy and safety beyond three years, in particular its bleeding risk, the draft guidance does not recommend the drug beyond that period.
Sean Murray
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