Optimal Antiplatelet and Lipid Therapy in ACS With DES: OPACT Trial

Summary

" Patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES) require optimized medical therapy to prevent recurrent cardiovascular events. This includes both antiplatelet and lipid-lowering strategies.

For antiplatelet therapy, dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) comprising aspirin and a potent P2Y12 inhibitor (such as ticagrelor) for 12 months is the current standard of care. While this regimen is effective in reducing ischemic events, it significantly increases the risk of major bleeding. To mitigate this bleeding risk, DAPT de-escalation strategies have been proposed, including a ""discontinuation strategy"" (early aspirin cessation) and a ""switching strategy"" (switching to a less potent P2Y12 inhibitor). Although previous studies have individually shown the safety and efficacy of these de-escalation approaches compared to standard 12-month DAPT, no head-to-head randomized trial has directly compared the discontinuation strategy (ticagrelor monotherapy after 1 month) against the switching strategy (aspirin plus clopidogrel after 1 month).

For lipid-lowering therapy, current guidelines recommend high-intensity statin monotherapy to achieve aggressive low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets (e.g., \< 55 or \< 70 mg/dL). However, adherence to high-intensity statins can be limited by concerns over adverse effects and poor patient compliance. In this context, a combination of moderate-intensity statin with ezetimibe has emerged as an alternative. While the previous trials have demonstrated non-inferiority of this combination strategy in a broad population with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, its efficacy and safety of initiating a moderate-intensity statin plus ezetimibe combination as the primary lipid-lowering therapy immediately after PCI for ACS remain to be established.

The purpose of this investigation (OPACT trial) is to identify the optimal antiplatelet (OPACT-P) and lipid-lowering (OPACT-L) strategies for patients with ACS following DES implantation.

Conditions

• Coronary Artery Disease

Interventions

DRUG

Switching strategy + Combination lipid-lowering therapy

* Month 0-1: Aspirin 100 mg qd + Ticagrelor 90 mg bid * Month 1-12: Aspirin 100 mg qd + Clopidogrel 75 mg qd (Switched at 1 month) * Month 0-36: Rosuvastatin 10 mg qd + Ezetimibe 10 mg qd * Drug : Rosuvastatin 10 mg + Ezetimibe 10 mg

DRUG

Discontinuation strategy + High-intensity statin therapy

* Month 0-1: Aspirin 100 mg qd + Ticagrelor 90 mg bid * Month 1-12: Ticagrelor 90 mg bid (Aspirin discontinued at 1 month) * Month 0-36: Rosuvastatin 20 mg qd

DRUG

Switching strategy + High-intensity statin therapy

* Month 0-1: Aspirin 100 mg qd + Ticagrelor 90 mg bid * Month 1-12: Aspirin 100 mg qd + Clopidogrel 75 mg qd (Switched at 1 month) * Month 0-36: Rosuvastatin 20 mg qd * Drug : Rosuvastatin 20 mg

DRUG

Discontinuation strategy + Combination lipid-lowering therapy

* Month 0-1: Aspirin 100 mg qd + Ticagrelor 90 mg bid * Month 1-12: Ticagrelor 90 mg bid (Aspirin discontinued at 1 month) * Month 0-36: Rosuvastatin 10 mg qd + Ezetimibe 10 mg qd

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Yonsei University

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

19 Years

Max Age

85 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-02-28

Primary Completion

2033-06-30

Completion

2033-06-30

Countries

• South Korea

Study Locations