NICE has published draft guidance recommending AstraZeneca’s anti-clotting drug Brilinta (ticagrelor) in combination with aspirin for people who have had a heart attack.

NICE recommends ticagrelor 60mg, at a cost of around £1 per tablet, with aspirin, taken twice a day for up to three years for people who have had a heart attack at least 12 months ago and who remain at high risk of having a further heart attack or stroke. The draft guidance states there should no interruption between treating at the higher 90mg dose and the lower 60mg dose.   

NICE is looking at the use of ticagrelor at a lower dose beyond the initial 12-month period as a continuation of their previous ticagrelor treatment.

In 2012/13 there were around 140,000 hospital admissions for heart attacks in England.

Professor Carole Longson MBE, NICE health technology evaluation centre director, said: “Despite the availability of effective secondary prevention treatments as many as a quarter of people who have had a heart attack go on to have another heart attack or stroke – often with devastating consequences.

“In provisionally recommending ticagrelor we are pleased to be able to increase the treatment options available to the many thousands of people who stand to benefit from it.”