New blood thinner medication submitted for Medsafe approval

MEDIA RELEASE
from Auckland cardiologist Professor Harvey White

New blood thinner medication submitted for Medsafe approval

A new anti-clotting drug for patients hospitalised after heart attacks or unstable angina has the potential to save many New Zealand lives, believes Auckland cardiologist Harvey White.

A “tremendously enthusiastic” Professor White was responding to news (20 July) the US Food and Drug Administration had approved Brilinta for use in the United States. Maker AstraZeneca has already submitted the drug for Medsafe approval in NZ.

The US FDA approval brings to nearly 40 the number of countries where it is approved for use, which includes the European Union and Canada.

Brilinta (Ticagrelor) is used after patients are admitted to hospital with heart attacks or unstable angina and the report published in the New England Journal of Medicine of the multicentre, double-blind, randomized trial, known as PLATO, showed a significant improvement in outcome, where such patients were at major risk of further cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks or strokes.

“In the New Zealand context, this could save 14 lives in every thousand patients treated with the current treatment,” Professor White says. “This trumps everything we’re currently using.”

These conditions are estimated to affect over 20,000 New Zealanders a year[1].

Besides blocking clots Brilinta has other “good effects”, such as dilating the coronary arteries and stabilising the heart rhythm. These effects helped generate Professor White’s enthusiasm, with it being able to be used in both medical and invasive interventions.

Brilinta is an oral antiplatelet treatment for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in a new chemical class called cyclopentyltriazolopyrimidines (CPTPs). Once approved by MedSafe the drug manufacturer, AstraZeneca, can then apply to Pharmac for it to be listed on the Pharmaceutical Schedule for reimbursement.

The PLATO study, funded by AstraZeneca, identified that total mortality was significantly reduced when Brilinta was used in combination with low dose aspirin, compared to existing standard treatment with clopidogrel[2], the generic medicine currently used in New Zealand to treat these conditions.

The PLATO study also showed a significantly lower rate of stent thrombosis[3] with BRILINTA compared to the standard treatment, with a 32% lower rate of definite stent thrombosis identified.

This reduced risk of death was found without an increase in the overall risk of bleeding. Although more minor bleeds were identified during the study, evidence showed that overall patient morbidity was not adversely affected as a result.

[1] Ellis C et al. Patients admitted with an acute coronary syndrome in New Zealand in 2007. NZMJ 2007; 123: 25-43

[2] Wallentin L et al. Ticagrelor versus clopidogrel in patients with acute coronary syndromes (PLATO). NEJM; 2009; 361 (11): 1045-1057

[3] Ibid

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