Diabetes-Related Factors and the Effects of Ticagrelor Plus Aspirin in the THEMIS and THEMIS-PCI Trials

THEMIS (The Effect of Ticagrelor on Health Outcomes in Diabetes Mellitus Patients Intervention Study) (n = 19,220) and its pre-specified THEMIS-PCI (The Effect of Ticagrelor on Health Outcomes in Diabetes Mellitus Patients Intervention Study-Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) (n = 11,154) subanalysis showed, in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (median duration 10.0 years; HbA_1c 7.1%) and stable coronary artery disease without prior myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke, that ticagrelor plus aspirin (compared with placebo plus aspirin) produced a favorable net clinical benefit (composite of all-cause mortality, MI, stroke, fatal bleeding, and intracranial bleeding) if the patients had a previous percutaneous coronary intervention.

In these post hoc analyses, the authors examined whether the primary efficacy outcome (cardiovascular death, MI, stroke: 3-point major adverse cardiovascular events [MACE]), primary safety outcome (Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction-defined major bleeding) and net clinical benefit varied with diabetes-related factors.

Outcomes were analyzed across baseline diabetes duration, HbA_1c, and antihyperglycemic medications.

In THEMIS, the incidence of 3-point MACE increased with diabetes duration (6.7% for ≤5 years, 11.1% for >20 years) and HbA_1c (6.4% for ≤6.0%, 11.8% for >10.0%). The relative benefits of ticagrelor plus aspirin on 3-point MACE reduction (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.90; p = 0.04) were generally consistent across subgroups. Major bleeding event rate (overall: 1.6%) did not vary by diabetes duration or HbA_1c and was increased similarly by ticagrelor across all subgroups (HR: 2.32; p < 0.001). These findings were mirrored in THEMIS-PCI. The efficacy and safety of ticagrelor plus aspirin did not differ by baseline antihyperglycemic therapy. In THEMIS-PCI, but not THEMIS, ticagrelor generally produced favorable net clinical benefit across diabetes duration, HbA_1c, and antihyperglycemic medications.

Ticagrelor plus aspirin yielded generally consistent and favorable net clinical benefit across the diabetes-related factors in THEMIS-PCI but not in the overall THEMIS population.