Incidence of Cardiovascular Events and Safety Profile of Prasugrel in Korean Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome

BACKGROUND Dual antiplatelet therapy is commonly used for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of aspirin and prasugrel at standard dosages in Korean patients using clinical outcome data.Methods and Results:For this prospective multicenter phase IV post-marketing surveillance (PMS) study, ACS patients from 29 July 2012 to 28 July 2016 were recruited. Patients received aspirin at a dose of 75-150 mg daily and a standard dose of prasugrel. Bleeding events were recorded and summarized to evaluate safety. Data on adverse events (AEs) and composite events such as cardiovascular (CV) death, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke were recorded and summarized to assess efficacy. Of the 3,283 patients recruited, data from 3,110 and 3,044 patients were included in the safety and efficacy analyses, respectively (median treatment duration, 172 days). The most frequently reported AE was ecchymosis (2.8%). The number of patients with major bleeding was 29/3,110 (0.93%). The discontinuation rate for any reason was 12.6%. The number of cases that ended in CV death, MI, stroke, stent thrombosis, or unplanned coronary revascularization was 26/3,044 (0.85%). CONCLUSIONS The present results are similar to those observed in clinical trials where administration of low-dose aspirin plus prasugrel was associated with a low rate of major bleeding and CV events.