The goal of this study was to analyze the impact of dabigatran plasma concentrations, patient demographics, and aspirin (ASA) use on frequencies of ischemic strokes/systemic emboli and major bleeds ...in atrial fibrillation patients.
The efficacy and safety of dabigatran etexilate were demonstrated in the RE-LY (Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagulation Therapy) trial, but a therapeutic concentration range has not been defined.
In a pre-specified analysis of RE-LY, plasma concentrations of dabigatran were determined in patients treated with dabigatran etexilate 110 mg twice daily (bid) or 150 mg bid and correlated with the clinical outcomes of ischemic stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding using univariate and multivariate logistic regression and Cox regression models. Patient demographics and ASA use were assessed descriptively and as covariates.
Plasma concentrations were obtained from 9,183 patients, with 112 ischemic strokes/systemic emboli (1.3%) and 323 major bleeds (3.8%) recorded. Dabigatran levels were dependent on renal function, age, weight, and female sex, but not ethnicity, geographic region, ASA use, or clopidogrel use. A multiple logistic regression model (c-statistic 0.657, 95% confidence interval CI: 0.61 to 0.71) showed that the risk of ischemic events was inversely related to trough dabigatran concentrations (p = 0.045), with age and previous stroke (both p < 0.0001) as significant covariates. Multiple logistic regression (c-statistic 0.715, 95% CI: 0.69 to 0.74) showed major bleeding risk increased with dabigatran exposure (p < 0.0001), age (p < 0.0001), ASA use (p < 0.0003), and diabetes (p = 0.018) as significant covariates.
Ischemic stroke and bleeding outcomes were correlated with dabigatran plasma concentrations. Age was the most important covariate. Individual benefit-risk might be improved by tailoring dabigatran dose after considering selected patient characteristics. (Randomized Evaluation of Long Term Anticoagulant Therapy RE-LY With Dabigatran Etexilate; NCT00262600).
Newly Identified Events in the RE-LY Trial Reilly, Paul A; Connolly, Stuart J; Yusuf, Salim ...
The New England journal of medicine,
11/2010, Volume:
363, Issue:
19
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
To the Editor:
We wish to update our article about the Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagulation Therapy (RE-LY) trial (Sept. 17, 2009, issue).
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After the database was locked on August 15, ...2009, we identified several additional primary efficacy and safety outcome events during routine clinical site closure visits. These events included two systemic embolic events and nine major hemorrhages. Subsequently, after discussions with the Food and Drug Administration, the primary and secondary efficacy and safety data were checked for consistency, and the study database was reevaluated for possible underreporting of events. To achieve this, all free text, outcomes, and adverse . . .
Summary Background Effectiveness and safety of warfarin is associated with the time in therapeutic range (TTR) with an international normalised ratio (INR) of 2·0–3·0. In the Randomised Evaluation of ...Long-term Anticoagulation Therapy (RE-LY) trial, dabigatran versus warfarin reduced both stroke and haemorrhage. We aimed to investigate the primary and secondary outcomes of the RE-LY trial in relation to each centre's mean TTR (cTTR) in the warfarin population. Methods In the RE-LY trial, 18 113 patients at 951 sites were randomly assigned to 110 mg or 150 mg dabigatran twice daily versus warfarin dose adjusted to INR 2·0–3·0. Median follow-up was 2·0 years. For 18 024 patients at 906 sites, the cTTR was estimated by averaging TTR for individual warfarin-treated patients calculated by the Rosendaal method. We compared the outcomes of RE-LY across the three treatment groups within four groups defined by the quartiles of cTTR. RE-LY is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , number NCT00262600. Findings The quartiles of cTTR for patients in the warfarin group were: less than 57·1%, 57·1–65·5%, 65·5–72·6%, and greater than 72·6%. There were no significant interactions between cTTR and prevention of stroke and systemic embolism with either 110 mg dabigatran (interaction p=0·89) or 150 mg dabigatran (interaction p=0·20) versus warfarin. Neither were any significant interactions recorded with cTTR with regards to intracranial bleeding with 110 mg dabigatran (interaction p=0·71) or 150 mg dabigatran (interaction p=0·89) versus warfarin. There was a significant interaction between cTTR and major bleeding when comparing 150 mg dabigatran with warfarin (interaction p=0·03), with less bleeding events at lower cTTR but similar events at higher cTTR, whereas rates of major bleeding were lower with 110 mg dabigatran than with warfarin irrespective of cTTR. There were significant interactions between cTTR and effects of both 110 mg and 150 mg dabigatran versus warfarin on the composite of all cardiovascular events (interaction p=0·036 and p=0·0006, respectively) and total mortality (interaction p=0·066 and p=0·052, respectively) with reduced event rates at low cTTR, and similar rates at high cTTR. Interpretation The benefits of 150 mg dabigatran at reducing stroke, 110 mg dabigatran at reducing bleeding, and both doses at reducing intracranial bleeding versus warfarin were consistent irrespective of centres' quality of INR control. For all vascular events, non-haemorrhagic events, and mortality, advantages of dabigatran were greater at sites with poor INR control than at those with good INR control. Overall, these results show that local standards of care affect the benefits of use of new treatment alternatives. Funding Boehringer Ingelheim.
Summary Background In the Randomised Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagulation Therapy (RE-LY) trial, dabigatran reduced occurrence of both stroke and haemorrhage compared with warfarin in patients who ...had atrial fibrillation and were at increased risk of stroke. We aimed to assess the effects of dabigatran compared with warfarin in the subgroup of patients with previous stroke or transient ischaemic attack. Methods In the RE-LY trial, 18 113 patients from 967 centres in 44 countries were randomly assigned to 110 mg or 150 mg dabigatran twice daily or to warfarin dose adjusted to international normalised ratio 2·0 to 3·0. Median follow-up was 2·0 years (IQR 1·14–2·86), and the primary outcome was stroke or systemic embolism. The primary safety outcome was major haemorrhage. Patients and investigators were aware of whether patients received warfarin or dabigatran, but not of dabigatran dose, and event adjudicators were masked to treatment. In a predefined analysis, we investigated the outcomes of the RE-LY trial in subgroups of patients with or without previous stroke or transient ischaemic attack. RE-LY is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT00262600. Findings Within the subgroup of patients with previous stroke or transient ischaemic attack, 1195 patients were from the 110 mg dabigatran group, 1233 from the 150 mg dabigatran group, and 1195 from the warfarin group. Stroke or systemic embolism occurred in 65 patients (2·78% per year) on warfarin compared with 55 (2·32% per year) on 110 mg dabigatran (relative risk 0·84, 95% CI 0·58–1·20) and 51 (2·07% per year) on 150 mg dabigatran (0·75, 0·52–1·08). The rate of major bleeding was significantly lower in patients on 110 mg dabigatran (RR 0·66, 95% CI 0·48–0·90) and similar in those on 150 mg dabigatran (RR 1·01; 95% CI 0·77–1·34) compared with those on warfarin. The effects of both doses of dabigatran compared with warfarin were not significantly different between patients with previous stroke or transient ischaemic attack and those without for any of the outcomes from RE-LY apart from vascular death (110 mg group compared with warfarin group, interaction p=0·038). Interpretation The effects of 110 mg dabigatran and 150 mg dabigatran twice daily in patients with previous stroke or transient ischaemic attack are consistent with those of other patients in RE-LY, for whom, compared with warfarin, 150 mg dabigatran reduced stroke or systemic embolism and 110 mg dabigatran was non-inferior. Funding Boehringer Ingelheim.
Delayed or impaired language development is a common developmental concern, yet there is little agreement about the criteria used to identify and classify language impairments in children. Children's ...language difficulties are at the interface between education, medicine and the allied professions, who may all adopt different approaches to conceptualising them. Our goal in this study was to use an online Delphi technique to see whether it was possible to achieve consensus among professionals on appropriate criteria for identifying children who might benefit from specialist services. We recruited a panel of 59 experts representing ten disciplines (including education, psychology, speech-language therapy/pathology, paediatrics and child psychiatry) from English-speaking countries (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom and USA). The starting point for round 1 was a set of 46 statements based on articles and commentaries in a special issue of a journal focusing on this topic. Panel members rated each statement for both relevance and validity on a seven-point scale, and added free text comments. These responses were synthesised by the first two authors, who then removed, combined or modified items with a view to improving consensus. The resulting set of statements was returned to the panel for a second evaluation (round 2). Consensus (percentage reporting 'agree' or 'strongly agree') was at least 80 percent for 24 of 27 round 2 statements, though many respondents qualified their response with written comments. These were again synthesised by the first two authors. The resulting consensus statement is reported here, with additional summary of relevant evidence, and a concluding commentary on residual disagreements and gaps in the evidence base.
Idarucizumab was 100% effective in reversing the anticoagulant effect of dabigatran among 300 patients with uncontrolled bleeding (median time to bleeding cessation, 2.5 hours) and among 200 patients ...who required an urgent procedure (median time to procedure initiation, 1.6 hours).
The Randomized Evaluation of Long-term Anticoagulation Therapy (RE-LY) trial showed that dabigatran etexilate 150 mg BID was superior and dabigatran etexilate 110 mg BID was noninferior to warfarin ...in preventing stroke and systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation. In this subgroup analysis, we assess the efficacy and safety of dabigatran in patients who did and did not receive concomitant antiplatelets.
All comparisons used a Cox proportional hazards model with adjustments made for risk factors for bleeding. A time-dependent analysis was performed when comparing patients with concomitant antiplatelets with those without. Of 18 113 patients, 6952 (38.4%) received concomitant aspirin or clopidogrel at some time during the study. Dabigatran etexilate 110 mg BID was noninferior to warfarin in reducing stroke and systemic embolism, whether patients received antiplatelets (hazard ratio HR, 0.93; 95% confidence interval 95% CI, 0.70-1.25) or not (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.66-1.15; interaction P=0.738). There were fewer major bleeds than warfarin in both subgroups (HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.67-1.00 for patients who used antiplatelets; HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.64-0.96 for patients who did not; interaction P=0.794). Dabigatran etexilate 150 mg BID reduced the primary outcome of stroke and systemic embolism in comparison with warfarin. This effect seemed attenuated among patients who used antiplatelets (HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.59-1.08) in comparison with those who did not (HR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.38-0.72; P for interaction=0.058). Major bleeding was similar to warfarin regardless of antiplatelet use (HR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.76-1.12 for patients who used antiplatelets; HR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.78-1.15 for patients who did not; P for interaction=0.875). In the time-dependent analysis, concomitant use of a single antiplatelet seemed to increase the risk of major bleeding (HR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.42-1.82). Dual antiplatelet seemed to increased this even more (HR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.79-2.98). The absolute risks were lowest on dabigatran etexilate 110 mg BID in comparison with dabigatran etexilate 150 mg BID or warfarin.
Concomitant antiplatelet drugs appeared to increase the risk for major bleeding in RE-LY without affecting the advantages of dabigatran over warfarin. Choosing between dabigatran etexilate 110 mg BID and dabigatran etexilate 150 mg BID requires a careful assessment of characteristics that influence the balance between benefit and harm.
URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00262600.
Idarucizumab for Dabigatran Reversal Pollack, Charles V; Reilly, Paul A; Eikelboom, John ...
The New England journal of medicine,
08/2015, Volume:
373, Issue:
6
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Intravenous idarucizumab, an antibody fragment of a human antibody specific for dabigatran, produced rapid reversal of the anticoagulant effect in patients with bleeding or an urgent surgical ...indication with no apparent toxic effects or rebound hypercoagulable state.
A non–vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant, dabigatran etexilate (dabigatran) is an oral thrombin inhibitor that is licensed for the prevention of stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and for the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism. Although dabigatran is associated with less serious bleeding than warfarin,
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–
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life-threatening bleeding can occur; in addition, dabigatran-treated patients may require urgent surgery or intervention, and dabigatran can increase the risk of perioperative bleeding. To improve the treatment of such patients, a specific dabigatran-reversal agent would be beneficial.
Idarucizumab, a monoclonal antibody fragment, binds dabigatran with an affinity that is 350 times as . . .
Intracranial hemorrhage is the most devastating complication of anticoagulation. Outcomes associated with different sites of intracranial bleeding occurring with warfarin versus dabigatran have not ...been defined.
Analysis of 18 113 participants with atrial fibrillation in the Randomized Evaluation of Long-term anticoagulant therapY (RE-LY) trial assigned to adjusted-dose warfarin (target international normalized ratio, 2-3) or dabigatran (150 mg or 110 mg, both twice daily).
During a mean of 2.0 years of follow-up, 154 intracranial hemorrhages occurred in 153 participants: 46% intracerebral (49% mortality), 45% subdural (24% mortality), and 8% subarachnoid (31% mortality). The rates of intracranial hemorrhage were 0.76%, 0.31%, and 0.23% per year among those assigned to warfarin, dabigatran 150 mg, and dabigatran 110 mg, respectively (P<0.001 for either dabigatran dose versus warfarin). Fewer fatal intracranial hemorrhages occurred among those assigned dabigatran 150 mg and 110 mg (n=13 and n=11, respectively) versus warfarin (n=32; P<0.01 for both). Fewer traumatic intracranial hemorrhages occurred among those assigned to dabigatran (11 patients with each dose) compared with warfarin (24 patients; P<0.05 for both dabigatran doses versus warfarin). Independent predictors of intracranial hemorrhage were assignment to warfarin (relative risk, 2.9; P<0.001), aspirin use (relative risk, 1.6; P=0.01), age (relative risk, 1.1 per year; P<0.001), and previous stroke/transient ischemic attack (relative risk, 1.8; P=0.001).
The clinical spectrum of intracranial hemorrhage was similar for patients given warfarin and dabigatran. Absolute rates at all sites and both fatal and traumatic intracranial hemorrhages were lower with dabigatran than with warfarin. Concomitant aspirin use was the most important modifiable independent risk factor for intracranial hemorrhage.
Summary
Idarucizumab, a Fab fragment directed against dabigatran, produced rapid and complete reversal of the anticoagulation effect of dabigatran in animals and in healthy volunteers. The Study of ...the
REVERS
al
E
ffects of Idarucizumab in Patients on
A
ctive
D
abigatran (RE-VERSE AD™) is a global phase 3 prospective cohort study aimed at investigating idarucizumab in dabigatran-treated patients who present with uncontrollable or life-threatening bleeding, and in those requiring urgent surgery or intervention. We describe the rationale for, and design of the trial (clinicaltrials.gov NCT02104947).