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New administration option for ticagrelor now approved

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For patients with ACS who are unable to swallow whole tablets, ticagrelor is now approved by the FDA to be crushed and administered in water by swallowing or via nasogastric tube, according to an announcement from AstraZeneca.

“We know that some patients who experience a heart attack are unable to swallow medications whole, yet it is important for these patients to receive and continue their oral antiplatelet therapy,” Steven Zelenkofske, DO, vice president of US Medical Affairs, Cardiovascular, AstraZeneca, stated in a press release.

The label update will now include information stating that 90-mg tablets of ticagrelor (Brilinta) can be crushed or swallowed in water or administered via nasogastric tube, according to the release.

Ticagrelor is indicated for the prevention of thrombotic CV events, including MI and CV-related mortality, in patients with ACS including unstable angina, STEMI and non-STEMI.

Recently reported results of the PEGASUS-TIMI 54 trial, which assessed use of ticagrelor in combination with low-dose aspirin for secondary prevention of atherothrombotic events in at-risk patients with prior MI, indicated that the drug met the primary efficacy endpoint.

Disclosure: Zelenkofske is an employee of AstraZeneca.