Comparison of ticagrelor, the first reversible oral P2Y.sub.12 receptor antagonist, with clopidogrel in patients with acute coronary syndromes: Rationale, design, and baseline characteristics of the PLATelet inhibition and patient Outcomes (PLATO) trial

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ahj.2009.01.003 Byline: Stefan James (a), Axel Akerblom (a), Christopher P. Cannon (b), HA[yen]kan Emanuelsson (c), Steen Husted (d), Hugo Katus (e), Allan Skene (f), Philippe Gabriel Steg (g), Robert F. Storey (h), Robert Harrington (i), Richard Becker (i), Lars Wallentin (a) Abstract: Antiplatelet therapy is essential treatment for acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Current therapies, however, have important limitations affecting their clinical success. Ticagrelor, the first reversible oral P2Y.sub.12 receptor antagonist, provides faster, greater, and more consistent adenosine diphosphate-receptor inhibition than clopidogrel. The phase III PLATelet inhibition and patient Outcomes (PLATO) trial is designed to test the hypothesis that ticagrelor compared with clopidogrel will result in a lower risk of recurrent thrombotic events in a broad patient population with ACS. Author Affiliation: (a) Uppsala Clinical Research Center, Uppsala, Sweden (b) TIMI Study Group, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA (c) AstraZeneca R&D, Molndal, Sweden (d) Department of Cardiology, Arhus University Hospital, Arhus, Denmark (e) Medizinische Klinik, Universitatsklinikum Heidelberg, Germany (f) Nottingham Clinical Research Limited, Nottingham, United Kingdom (g) INSERM U-698, AP-HP and Universite Paris, Paris, France (h) Cardiovascular Research Unit, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom (i) Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, NC Article History: Received 22 September 2008; Accepted 13 January 2009 Article Note: (footnote) Randomized Clinical Trial #: NCT00391872., Dr. Raymond J. Gibbons served as guest editor for this manuscript.