6 Oct 2023 • The association of enteric-coated aspirin with secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease is controversial. A post hoc secondary analysis of the ADAPTABLE randomized clinical trial, published in JAMA Cardiology, aimed to investigate whether the use of enteric-coated aspirin compared to uncoated aspirin had any significant impact on the effectiveness or safety outcomes in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

• The study included 10,678 participants, with a median age of 68 years, who were divided into two groups based on their self-reported aspirin formulation (enteric-coated or uncoated). The primary effectiveness outcome was a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death from any cause, while the primary safety endpoint was major bleeding events.
• The analysis found that there were no significant differences in these outcomes between the two groups, regardless of the aspirin dose (high or low) assigned to the participants.

In other words, enteric-coated aspirin did not show a clear advantage over uncoated aspirin in terms of effectiveness or safety for secondary prevention of cardiovascular events. More research is needed to confirm whether enteric-coated aspirin formulations or newer formulations will improve ischemic and bleeding outcomes among patients with ASCVD.

Source: JAMA Cardiology | Read full story