De-escalation Strategy: Ticagrelor to Clopidogrel in AMI Patients improves outcomes in patients with low BMI: JAMA

The potential benefits of P2Y12 inhibitor deescalation for acute myocardial infarction after percutaneous coronary intervention may be influenced by body mass index (BMI). A study was done to investigate the association of BMI on deescalation outcomes after 12 months in patients with acute myocardial infarction after percutaneous coronary intervention who were initially treated with aspirin plus ticagrelor for 1 month, and to assess whether BMI-based switching from aspirin plus ticagrelor (active control strategy) to aspirin plus clopidogrel (deescalation strategy) is associated with individualized benefits.

This study is a post hoc analysis, based on BMI, of data from the TALOS-AMI (Ticagrelor vs Clopidogrel in Stabilized Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction) randomized clinical trial. Data were collected from February 14, 2014, to December 31, 2018, with follow-up to January 21, 2021. Analyses were conducted from December 1, 2021, to August 21, 2024. Among 2697 trial participants from 32 centers in South Korea, 2686 participants whose BMI data were available were included. All patients received aspirin plus ticagrelor for 1 month after percutaneous coronary intervention. Stabilized patients were then randomized to either the active control or deescalation strategy for an additional 11 months.

The primary end point was a composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium bleeding type 2, 3, or 5 at 12 months after percutaneous coronary intervention. The trial compared the active control and deescalation strategies according to BMIs, including an interaction test. Results Of the 2686 patients included (mean [SD] age, 60.0 [11.4] years; 2234 [83.2%] male), 2344 (1161 in the deescalation group and 1183 in the active control group) had a BMI less than 28, and 342 (184 in the deescalation group and 158 in the active control group) had a BMI of 28 or greater. The deescalation strategy was associated with significantly reduced composite outcomes compared with the active control strategy in the group with a BMI less than 28 (53 [4.6%] vs 98 [8.3%]; adjusted hazard ratio, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.39-0.76; P < .001), primarily due to fewer bleeding complications.

The group had no association with a BMI of 28 or greater. In this post hoc analysis of the TALOS-AMI randomized clinical trial, in stabilized patients with acute myocardial infarction, an unguided deescalation strategy of switching from ticagrelor to clopidogrel after 1 month was associated with better clinical outcomes in those with lower BMIs.

Reference:

Bu S, Kim CJ, Lim S, et al. BMI and Deescalation From Ticagrelor to Clopidogrel in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Post Hoc Analysis of the TALOS-AMI Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(2):e2461916. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.61916