Efficacy and Safety of Cangrelor in Women Versus Men During Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Insights From the Cangrelor versus Standard Therapy to Achieve Optimal Management of Platelet Inhibition (CHAMPION PHOENIX) Trial

Background—Cangrelor is an intravenous ADP receptor antagonist that leads to potent and reversible inhibition of platelet aggregation. The relative safety and efficacy of some antiplatelet drugs in women has been disputed. Methods and Results—The Cangrelor versus Standard Therapy to Achieve Optimal Management of Platelet Inhibition (CHAMPION PHOENIX) trial randomized 11 145 patients undergoing elective or urgent percutaneous coronary intervention to cangrelor or clopidogrel. The primary efficacy end point was the composite of death, myocardial infarction, ischemia-driven revascularization, or stent thrombosis at 48 hours; the key secondary end point was stent thrombosis at 48 hours. The primary safety end point was GUSTO severe bleeding at 48 hours. Of subjects analyzed, 3051 (28%) were female. Cangrelor reduced the odds of the primary end point by 35% in women (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.48–0.89) and by 14% in men (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.70–1.05; P interaction=0.23) compared with clopidogrel. Cangrelor reduced the odds of stent thrombosis by 61% in women (OR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.20–0.77) and 16% in men (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.53–1.33; P interaction=0.11). The odds of severe bleeding were similar in both women and men treated with cangrelor (0.3% versus 0.2%, P=0.30 [women]; 0.1% versus 0.1%, P=0.41 [men]; P interaction=0.88) versus clopidogrel. Cangrelor increased the odds of moderate bleeding in women (0.9% versus 0.3%, P=0.02), but not in men (0.2% versus 0.2%, P=0.68; P interaction=0.040). The net clinical benefit (primary efficacy and safety end point) favored cangrelor in both women (OR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.50–0.92) and men (OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.71–1.06; P interaction=0.26). Conclusions—In CHAMPION PHOENIX, cangrelor reduced the odds of major adverse cardiovascular events and stent thrombosis in women and men and appeared to offer greater net clinical benefit than clopidogrel