EUCLID: Ticagrelor Holds No Edge Over Clopidogrel for Preventing Atherothrombotic Events in Symptomatic PAD Patients

The EUCLID trial testing ticagrelor against clopidogrel for the prevention of atherothrombotic events in patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease has failed to meet its primary endpoint, the trial sponsor has announced.

Full results from the EUCLID trial are slated for presentation at the upcoming American Heart Association (AHA) 2016 Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, LA. In top-line results released earlier this week, AstraZeneca stated that ticagrelor (Brilinta) at a twice-daily dose of 90 mg failed to demonstrate benefit compared with clopidogrel at a once-daily dose of 75 mg in reducing the time to first event—a composite of cardiovascular death, MI, or ischemic stroke. 

The trial was conducted in 28 countries and enrolled 13,885 patients, making it the largest CV outcomes trial to date conducted exclusively in symptomatic patients with PAD.

“The proven benefits of Brilinta in acute coronary syndrome and post-myocardial infarction patients are established and remain unchanged,” Sean Bohen, Astra Zeneca’s executive vice president of Global Medicines Development and chief medical officer, said in a press release. “We are disappointed that the EUCLID trial results showed Brilinta did not demonstrate a benefit over clopidogrel in this specific symptomatic PAD population.”

Drug safety in the trial was “consistent with the known safety profile” of ticagrelor in preliminary analyses, the release notes.

EUCLID is scheduled to be presented on the first day of the AHA Scientific Sessions, at 3:45 PM on Sunday, November 13, 2016.

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