AstraZeneca stroke trials show Brilinta not effective

AstraZeneca's Brilinta drug missed its target during a trial in stroke patients, proving less effective than aspirin.

Clinical tests of Brilinta had been assessing efficacy of 90mg tablets taken twice daily compared to aspirin 100mg once daily in patients with acute ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA).

AstraZeneca admitted that primary efficacy endpoint of time to first occurrence of any event from the composite of stroke, myocardial infarction (heart attack) and death was not met.

AstraZeneca's chief medical officer, Sean Bohen, said: "We will present the full analysis of the trial results, including subgroups, at a forthcoming stroke congress and will engage with regulatory agencies on the interpretation of the data. The Socrates trial enrolled a patient population that differs from the currently-approved indications forBrilinta/Brilique."