AstraZeneca’s Brilique OK for marketing in EU

The European Commission has granted to AstraZeneca marketing authorisation for Brilique (ticagrelor) at a new 60mg dose for the treatment of patients who have suffered a heart attack at least one year prior and are at high risk of developing a further atherothrombotic event. The pharmaceutical company noted that treatment may be started as continuation therapy after an initial one-year treatment with Brilique 90mg and aspirin or other dual anti platelet therapy.

Sean Bohen, Executive Vice President, Global Medicines Development and Chief Medical Officer at AstraZeneca, said: “A growing body of evidence continues to show that the risk of experiencing a subsequent cardiovascular event continues beyond the first year after a patient has a heart attack. We are committed to finding new treatment solutions for these patients who remain at risk, and today’s approval is an important step forward in meeting this need.”

Brilique

Brilique is an oral antiplatelet treatment that works by inhibiting platelet activation. Brilique90mg is already approved in the EU for the prevention of atherothrombotic events in adults with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). In the management of ACS, the recommended maintenance dose of Brilique is 90mg twice daily during the first year after an ACS event.

The company concluded that now, after the first year, patients with a history of heart attack can continue to be treated with the lower dose Brilique 60mg twice daily, which should be taken with a daily maintenance dose of aspirin of 75-150mg.