WilL LOWer Dose Aspirin be More Effective Following ACS? (WILLOW-ACS)

Summary

The study is going to compare two different doses of aspirin for the treatment of heart disease in combination with the anticlotting medication ticagrelor. One of these doses of aspirin, 75 milligrams (mg) once a day, is the current standard treatment dose of aspirin used to treat heart attacks and angina. The other, 20 mg twice a day, is lower than the standard but there is growing scientific evidence that, when given with ticagrelor, this might offer advantages over the usual dose.

Timeline

Start

2016-06-26

Primary completion

2017-04-07

Completion

2017-04-07

Publications

• Background Randomised trial of intravenous streptokinase, oral aspirin, both, or neither among 17,187 cases of suspected acute myocardial infarction: ISIS-2. ISIS-2 (Second International Study of Infarct Survival) Collaborative Group. Lancet. 1988 Aug 13;2(8607):349-60.
• Background Antithrombotic Trialists' Collaboration. Collaborative meta-analysis of randomised trials of antiplatelet therapy for prevention of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke in high risk patients. BMJ. 2002 Jan 12;324(7329):71-86. doi: 10.1136/bmj.324.7329.71.
• Background Armstrong PC, Leadbeater PD, Chan MV, Kirkby NS, Jakubowski JA, Mitchell JA, Warner TD. In the presence of strong P2Y12 receptor blockade, aspirin provides little additional inhibition of platelet aggregation. J Thromb Haemost. 2011 Mar;9(3):552-61. doi: 10.1111/j.1538-7836.2010.04160.x.
• Background Ault KA, Cannon CP, Mitchell J, McCahan J, Tracy RP, Novotny WF, Reimann JD, Braunwald E. Platelet activation in patients after an acute coronary syndrome: results from the TIMI-12 trial. Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1999 Mar;33(3):634-9. doi: 10.1016/s0735-1097(98)00635-4.
• Background Coxib and traditional NSAID Trialists' (CNT) Collaboration; Bhala N, Emberson J, Merhi A, Abramson S, Arber N, Baron JA, Bombardier C, Cannon C, Farkouh ME, FitzGerald GA, Goss P, Halls H, Hawk E, Hawkey C, Hennekens C, Hochberg M, Holland LE, Kearney PM, Laine L, Lanas A, Lance P, Laupacis A, Oates J, Patrono C, Schnitzer TJ, Solomon S, Tugwell P, Wilson K, Wittes J, Baigent C. Vascular and upper gastrointestinal effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: meta-analyses of individual participant data from randomised trials. Lancet. 2013 Aug 31;382(9894):769-79. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60900-9. Epub 2013 May 30.
• Background Birnbaum Y, Lin Y, Ye Y, Martinez JD, Huang MH, Lui CY, Perez-Polo JR, Uretsky BF. Aspirin before reperfusion blunts the infarct size limiting effect of atorvastatin. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2007 Jun;292(6):H2891-7. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.01269.2006. Epub 2007 Feb 2.
• Background Bonello L, Laine M, Kipson N, Mancini J, Helal O, Fromonot J, Gariboldi V, Condo J, Thuny F, Frere C, Camoin-Jau L, Paganelli F, Dignat-George F, Guieu R. Ticagrelor increases adenosine plasma concentration in patients with an acute coronary syndrome. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014 Mar 11;63(9):872-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2013.09.067. Epub 2013 Nov 27.
• Background Cannon CP, Husted S, Harrington RA, Scirica BM, Emanuelsson H, Peters G, Storey RF; DISPERSE-2 Investigators. Safety, tolerability, and initial efficacy of AZD6140, the first reversible oral adenosine diphosphate receptor antagonist, compared with clopidogrel, in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome: primary results of the DISPERSE-2 trial. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2007 Nov 6;50(19):1844-51. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2007.07.053. Epub 2007 Oct 23.
• Background Cattaneo M, Lecchi A. Inhibition of the platelet P2Y12 receptor for adenosine diphosphate potentiates the antiplatelet effect of prostacyclin. J Thromb Haemost. 2007 Mar;5(3):577-82. doi: 10.1111/j.1538-7836.2007.02356.x. Epub 2006 Dec 7.
• Background Chen ZM, Jiang LX, Chen YP, Xie JX, Pan HC, Peto R, Collins R, Liu LS; COMMIT (ClOpidogrel and Metoprolol in Myocardial Infarction Trial) collaborative group. Addition of clopidogrel to aspirin in 45,852 patients with acute myocardial infarction: randomised placebo-controlled trial. Lancet. 2005 Nov 5;366(9497):1607-21. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(05)67660-X.
• Background Favre L, Glasson P, Riondel A, Vallotton MB. Interaction of diuretics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in man. Clin Sci (Lond). 1983 Apr;64(4):407-15. doi: 10.1042/cs0640407.
• Background Grzesk G, Kozinski M, Tantry US, Wicinski M, Fabiszak T, Navarese EP, Grzesk E, Jeong YH, Gurbel PA, Kubica J. High-dose, but not low-dose, aspirin impairs anticontractile effect of ticagrelor following ADP stimulation in rat tail artery smooth muscle cells. Biomed Res Int. 2013;2013:928271. doi: 10.1155/2013/928271. Epub 2013 Jun 6.
• Background Henry P, Vermillet A, Boval B, Guyetand C, Petroni T, Dillinger JG, Sideris G, Bal dit Sollier C, Drouet L. 24-hour time-dependent aspirin efficacy in patients with stable coronary artery disease. Thromb Haemost. 2011 Feb;105(2):336-44. doi: 10.1160/TH10-02-0082. Epub 2010 Dec 7.
• Background Kallmann R, Nieuwenhuis HK, de Groot PG, van Gijn J, Sixma JJ. Effects of low doses of aspirin, 10 mg and 30 mg daily, on bleeding time, thromboxane production and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha excretion in healthy subjects. Thromb Res. 1987 Feb 15;45(4):355-61. doi: 10.1016/0049-3848(87)90224-6.
• Background Kirkby NS, Lundberg MH, Harrington LS, Leadbeater PD, Milne GL, Potter CM, Al-Yamani M, Adeyemi O, Warner TD, Mitchell JA. Cyclooxygenase-1, not cyclooxygenase-2, is responsible for physiological production of prostacyclin in the cardiovascular system. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Oct 23;109(43):17597-602. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1209192109. Epub 2012 Oct 8.
• Background Mahaffey KW, Wojdyla DM, Carroll K, Becker RC, Storey RF, Angiolillo DJ, Held C, Cannon CP, James S, Pieper KS, Horrow J, Harrington RA, Wallentin L; PLATO Investigators. Ticagrelor compared with clopidogrel by geographic region in the Platelet Inhibition and Patient Outcomes (PLATO) trial. Circulation. 2011 Aug 2;124(5):544-54. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.111.047498. Epub 2011 Jun 27.
• Background Matetzky S, Shenkman B, Guetta V, Shechter M, Beinart R, Goldenberg I, Novikov I, Pres H, Savion N, Varon D, Hod H. Clopidogrel resistance is associated with increased risk of recurrent atherothrombotic events in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Circulation. 2004 Jun 29;109(25):3171-5. doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.0000130846.46168.03. Epub 2004 Jun 7.
• Background Mehta SR, Tanguay JF, Eikelboom JW, Jolly SS, Joyner CD, Granger CB, Faxon DP, Rupprecht HJ, Budaj A, Avezum A, Widimsky P, Steg PG, Bassand JP, Montalescot G, Macaya C, Di Pasquale G, Niemela K, Ajani AE, White HD, Chrolavicius S, Gao P, Fox KA, Yusuf S; CURRENT-OASIS 7 trial investigators. Double-dose versus standard-dose clopidogrel and high-dose versus low-dose aspirin in individuals undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for acute coronary syndromes (CURRENT-OASIS 7): a randomised factorial trial. Lancet. 2010 Oct 9;376(9748):1233-43. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61088-4.
• Background Miner J, Hoffhines A. The discovery of aspirin's antithrombotic effects. Tex Heart Inst J. 2007;34(2):179-86.
• Background Mukherjee D, Nissen SE, Topol EJ. Risk of cardiovascular events associated with selective COX-2 inhibitors. JAMA. 2001 Aug 22-29;286(8):954-9. doi: 10.1001/jama.286.8.954.
• Background Nanhwan MK, Ling S, Kodakandla M, Nylander S, Ye Y, Birnbaum Y. Chronic treatment with ticagrelor limits myocardial infarct size: an adenosine and cyclooxygenase-2-dependent effect. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2014 Sep;34(9):2078-85. doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.114.304002. Epub 2014 Jul 10.
• Background Paikin JS, Hirsh J, Ginsberg JS, Weitz JI, Chan NC, Whitlock RP, Pare G, Johnston M, Eikelboom JW. Multiple daily doses of acetyl-salicylic acid (ASA) overcome reduced platelet response to once-daily ASA after coronary artery bypass graft surgery: a pilot randomized controlled trial. J Thromb Haemost. 2015 Mar;13(3):448-56. doi: 10.1111/jth.12832. Epub 2015 Feb 6.
• Background Patrono C. Aspirin as an antiplatelet drug. N Engl J Med. 1994 May 5;330(18):1287-94. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199405053301808. No abstract available.
• Background Pradelles P, Grassi J, Maclouf J. Enzyme immunoassays of eicosanoids using acetylcholinesterase. Methods Enzymol. 1990;187:24-34. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(90)87005-n. No abstract available.
• Background Rocca B, Santilli F, Pitocco D, Mucci L, Petrucci G, Vitacolonna E, Lattanzio S, Mattoscio D, Zaccardi F, Liani R, Vazzana N, Del Ponte A, Ferrante E, Martini F, Cardillo C, Morosetti R, Mirabella M, Ghirlanda G, Davi G, Patrono C. The recovery of platelet cyclooxygenase activity explains interindividual variability in responsiveness to low-dose aspirin in patients with and without diabetes. J Thromb Haemost. 2012 Jul;10(7):1220-30. doi: 10.1111/j.1538-7836.2012.04723.x.
• Background Roffi M, Patrono C, Collet JP, Mueller C, Valgimigli M, Andreotti F, Bax JJ, Borger MA, Brotons C, Chew DP, Gencer B, Hasenfuss G, Kjeldsen K, Lancellotti P, Landmesser U, Mehilli J, Mukherjee D, Storey RF, Windecker S; ESC Scientific Document Group. 2015 ESC Guidelines for the management of acute coronary syndromes in patients presenting without persistent ST-segment elevation: Task Force for the Management of Acute Coronary Syndromes in Patients Presenting without Persistent ST-Segment Elevation of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Eur Heart J. 2016 Jan 14;37(3):267-315. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehv320. Epub 2015 Aug 29. No abstract available.
• Background Sabatine MS, Cannon CP, Gibson CM, Lopez-Sendon JL, Montalescot G, Theroux P, Claeys MJ, Cools F, Hill KA, Skene AM, McCabe CH, Braunwald E; CLARITY-TIMI 28 Investigators. Addition of clopidogrel to aspirin and fibrinolytic therapy for myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation. N Engl J Med. 2005 Mar 24;352(12):1179-89. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa050522. Epub 2005 Mar 9.
• Background Schonbeck U, Sukhova GK, Graber P, Coulter S, Libby P. Augmented expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in human atherosclerotic lesions. Am J Pathol. 1999 Oct;155(4):1281-91. doi: 10.1016/S0002-9440(10)65230-3.
• Background Task Force on the management of ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC); Steg PG, James SK, Atar D, Badano LP, Blomstrom-Lundqvist C, Borger MA, Di Mario C, Dickstein K, Ducrocq G, Fernandez-Aviles F, Gershlick AH, Giannuzzi P, Halvorsen S, Huber K, Juni P, Kastrati A, Knuuti J, Lenzen MJ, Mahaffey KW, Valgimigli M, van 't Hof A, Widimsky P, Zahger D. ESC Guidelines for the management of acute myocardial infarction in patients presenting with ST-segment elevation. Eur Heart J. 2012 Oct;33(20):2569-619. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehs215. Epub 2012 Aug 24. No abstract available.
• Background Storey RF, Angiolillo DJ, Patil SB, Desai B, Ecob R, Husted S, Emanuelsson H, Cannon CP, Becker RC, Wallentin L. Inhibitory effects of ticagrelor compared with clopidogrel on platelet function in patients with acute coronary syndromes: the PLATO (PLATelet inhibition and patient Outcomes) PLATELET substudy. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2010 Oct 26;56(18):1456-62. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2010.03.100.
• Background Storey RF, Oldroyd KG, Wilcox RG. Open multicentre study of the P2T receptor antagonist AR-C69931MX assessing safety, tolerability and activity in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Thromb Haemost. 2001 Mar;85(3):401-7.
• Background Tohgi H, Konno S, Tamura K, Kimura B, Kawano K. Effects of low-to-high doses of aspirin on platelet aggregability and metabolites of thromboxane A2 and prostacyclin. Stroke. 1992 Oct;23(10):1400-3. doi: 10.1161/01.str.23.10.1400.
• Background Valkhoff VE, Sturkenboom MC, Kuipers EJ. Risk factors for gastrointestinal bleeding associated with low-dose aspirin. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 2012 Apr;26(2):125-40. doi: 10.1016/j.bpg.2012.01.011.
• Background Vane JR, Botting RM. The mechanism of action of aspirin. Thromb Res. 2003 Jun 15;110(5-6):255-8. doi: 10.1016/s0049-3848(03)00379-7.
• Background Wallentin L, Becker RC, Budaj A, Cannon CP, Emanuelsson H, Held C, Horrow J, Husted S, James S, Katus H, Mahaffey KW, Scirica BM, Skene A, Steg PG, Storey RF, Harrington RA; PLATO Investigators; Freij A, Thorsen M. Ticagrelor versus clopidogrel in patients with acute coronary syndromes. N Engl J Med. 2009 Sep 10;361(11):1045-57. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa0904327. Epub 2009 Aug 30.
• Background Warner TD, Armstrong PC, Curzen NP, Mitchell JA. Dual antiplatelet therapy in cardiovascular disease: does aspirin increase clinical risk in the presence of potent P2Y12 receptor antagonists? Heart. 2010 Nov;96(21):1693-4. doi: 10.1136/hrt.2010.205724.
• Background Warner TD, Nylander S, Whatling C. Anti-platelet therapy: cyclo-oxygenase inhibition and the use of aspirin with particular regard to dual anti-platelet therapy. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2011 Oct;72(4):619-33. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.2011.03943.x.
• Background Authors/Task Force members; Windecker S, Kolh P, Alfonso F, Collet JP, Cremer J, Falk V, Filippatos G, Hamm C, Head SJ, Juni P, Kappetein AP, Kastrati A, Knuuti J, Landmesser U, Laufer G, Neumann FJ, Richter DJ, Schauerte P, Sousa Uva M, Stefanini GG, Taggart DP, Torracca L, Valgimigli M, Wijns W, Witkowski A. 2014 ESC/EACTS Guidelines on myocardial revascularization: The Task Force on Myocardial Revascularization of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS)Developed with the special contribution of the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI). Eur Heart J. 2014 Oct 1;35(37):2541-619. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehu278. Epub 2014 Aug 29. No abstract available.
• Background Ye Y, Birnbaum GD, Perez-Polo JR, Nanhwan MK, Nylander S, Birnbaum Y. Ticagrelor protects the heart against reperfusion injury and improves remodeling after myocardial infarction. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2015 Aug;35(8):1805-14. doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.115.305655. Epub 2015 Jun 4.
• Background Yusuf S, Zhao F, Mehta SR, Chrolavicius S, Tognoni G, Fox KK; Clopidogrel in Unstable Angina to Prevent Recurrent Events Trial Investigators. Effects of clopidogrel in addition to aspirin in patients with acute coronary syndromes without ST-segment elevation. N Engl J Med. 2001 Aug 16;345(7):494-502. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa010746.

Drugs

Indications