Analysis of CHAMPION PHOENIX Shows Efficacy of Cangrelor in Radial-Access PCI Patients

September 1, 2015—The Medicines Company announced that secondary analyses of the CHAMPION PHOENIX trial were presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s ESC Congress 2015 held August 29 to September 2 in London, United Kingdom. CHAMPION PHOENIX compared the intravenous antiplatelet agent cangrelor to oral clopidogrel in 11,145 patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

According to The Medicines Company, the data demonstrate consistent reductions by more than 20% in the risk of primary endpoint ischemic events, which included a composite of death, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, and repeat revascularization, with cangrelor in patients treated by either the femoral or radial approach. The full report of this subgroup analysis will be published in the European Heart Journal.

Cangrelor was associated with a 21% reduction in the primary outcome of death, myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization, and stent thrombosis in patients treated by the femoral approach, and with a 24% reduction in patients treated by the radial approach compared with clopidogrel. 

The company noted that rates of GUSTO-defined (Global Utilization of Streptokinase and tPA for Occluded Arteries) severe or moderate bleeding were low overall, without significant differences for cangrelor versus clopidogrel (0.7% vs 0.4% with femoral access; 0.3% vs 0.2% with radial access).

In the company’s press release, Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, stated, “Cangrelor showed similar effectiveness and safety in PCI patients regardless of the vascular access site. These results are particularly relevant as worldwide use of the radial artery approach to PCI increases.” Dr. Bhatt is Executive Director of Interventional Cardiovascular Programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart & Vascular Center and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.

Cangrelor is marketed as Kengrexal in Europe and as Kengreal in the United States.

In Europe, Kengrexal is indicated for the reduction of thrombotic cardiovascular events in adult patients with coronary artery disease undergoing PCI who have not received an oral P2Y12 inhibitor before the PCI procedure and in whom oral therapy with P2Y12 inhibitors is not feasible or desirable.

In the United States, Kengreal is indicated as an adjunct to PCI to reduce the risk of periprocedural myocardial infarction, repeat coronary revascularization, and stent thrombosis in patients who have not been treated with a P2Y12 platelet inhibitor and are not being given a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor.

The Medicines Company advised that new European Society of Cardiology guidelines for the management of acute coronary syndromes in patients presenting without persistent ST-segment elevation have included cangrelor as an option in P2Y12 inhibitor–naive patients undergoing PCI. Additionally, the guidelines strengthen the recommendation for the use of the radial approach for coronary angiography and PCI.