Background— Clopidogrel is administered to prevent stent thrombosis; however, the uniformity of platelet inhibition after treatment and the influence of pretreatment reactivity on drug response have not been described. Methods and Results— Platelet aggregation (5 and 20 μmol/L ADP), the activation of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (PAC-1 antibody), and the expression of P-selectin were measured in patients undergoing elective coronary stenting (n=96) at baseline and at 2 hours, 24 hours, 5 days, and 30 days after stenting. All patients received aspirin (325 mg). Clopidogrel (300 mg) was administered in the catheterization laboratory and followed by 75 mg daily. There was marked interindividual variability in drug response as measured by all markers that showed a normal distribution. Resistance, defined as baseline aggregation (%) minus posttreatment aggregation (%) ≤10% by 5 μmol/L ADP, was present in 31% and 15% of patients at 5 and 30 days, respectively. Patients with the highest pretreatment platelet reactivity remained the most reactive at 24 hours after treatment ( P <0.0001). Conclusions— Interindividual variability in the platelet inhibitory response from clopidogrel occurs in patients undergoing elective coronary stenting. Patients with high pretreatment reactivity are least protected. Alternative pharmacological strategies and the association of adverse ischemic events should be investigated in these patients.

ContentClopidogrel, one of the most commonly prescribed medications, is a prodrug requiring CYP450 biotransformation. Data suggest its pharmacologic effect varies based on CYP2C19 genotype, but there is uncertainty regarding the clinical risk imparted by specific genotypes.ObjectiveTo define the risk of major adverse cardiovascular outcomes among carriers of 1 (≈ 26% prevalence in whites) and carriers of 2 (≈ 2% prevalence in whites) reduced-function CYP2C19 genetic variants in patients treated with clopidogrel.Data Sources and Study SelectionA literature search was conducted (January 2000-August 2010) in MEDLINE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and EMBASE. Genetic studies were included in which clopidogrel was initiated in predominantly invasively managed patients in a manner consistent with the current guideline recommendations and in which clinical outcomes were ascertained.Data ExtractionInvestigators from 9 studies evaluating CYP2C19 genotype and clinical outcomes in patients treated with clopidogrel contributed the relevant hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for specific cardiovascular outcomes by genotype.ResultsAmong 9685 patients (91.3% who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention and 54.5% who had an acute coronary syndrome), 863 experienced the composite end point of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke; and 84 patients had stent thrombosis among the 5894 evaluated for such. Overall, 71.5% were noncarriers, 26.3% had 1 reduced-function CYP2C19 allele, and 2.2% had 2 reduced-function CYP2C19 alleles. A significantly increased risk of the composite end point was evident in both carriers of 1 (HR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.11-2.17; P = .01) and 2 (HR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.24-2.50; P = .002) reduced-function CYP2C19 alleles, as compared with noncarriers. Similarly, there was a significantly increased risk of stent thrombosis in both carriers of 1 (HR, 2.67; 95% CI, 1.69-4.22; P < .0001) and 2 (HR, 3.97; 95% CI, 1.75-9.02; P = .001) CYP2C19 reduced-function alleles, as compared with noncarriers.ConclusionAmong patients treated with clopidogrel for percutaneous coronary intervention, carriage of even 1 reduced-function CYP2C19 allele appears to be associated with a significantly increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, particularly stent thrombosis.

Background— Ticagrelor is the first reversibly binding oral P2Y ₁₂ receptor antagonist. This is the first study to compare the onset and offset of platelet inhibition (IPA) with ticagrelor using the PLATO (PLATelet inhibition and patient Outcomes) trial loading dose (180 mg) with a high loading dose (600 mg) of clopidogrel. Methods and Results— In a multicenter, randomized, double-blind study, 123 patients with stable coronary artery disease who were taking aspirin therapy (75 to 100 mg/d) received ticagrelor (180-mg load, 90-mg BID maintenance dose [n=57]), clopidogrel (600-mg load, 75-mg/d maintenance dose [n=54]), or placebo (n=12) for 6 weeks. Greater IPA (20 μmol/L ADP, final extent) occurred with ticagrelor than with clopidogrel at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 24 hours after loading and at 6 weeks ( P 50% IPA (98% versus 31%, P 70% IPA (90% versus 16%, P <0.0001) in the ticagrelor group than in the clopidogrel group, respectively. A faster offset occurred with ticagrelor than with clopidogrel (4-to-72–hour slope [% IPA/h] −1.04 versus −0.48, P <0.0001). At 24 hours after the last dose, mean IPA was 58% for ticagrelor versus 52% for clopidogrel ( P =NS). IPA for ticagrelor on day 3 after the last dose was comparable to clopidogrel at day 5; IPA on day 5 for ticagrelor was similar to clopidogrel on day 7 and did not differ from placebo ( P =NS). Conclusions— Ticagrelor achieved more rapid and greater platelet inhibition than high-loading-dose clopidogrel; this was sustained during the maintenance phase and was faster in offset after drug discontinuation. Clinical Trial Registration Information— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00528411.