Brand Name of Ticagrelor
Ticagrelor is marketed under the brand name Brilinta in the United States and Brilique (or Possia) in Europe. 1, 2, 3, 4
Brand Name Variations by Region
Drug Classification and Mechanism
Ticagrelor is a cyclopentyl-triazolopyrimidine, representing a distinct chemical class from thienopyridines (clopidogrel, prasugrel). 1, 2, 3 Unlike clopidogrel and prasugrel, ticagrelor is not a prodrug and does not require bioactivation through the cytochrome P450 system. 1 It provides reversible P2Y12 receptor inhibition with rapid onset (0.5-2 hours) and offset of action (3-4 days). 1
Clinical Approval Status
The FDA approved ticagrelor (Brilinta) on July 20,2011, for use in acute coronary syndromes. 5 At the time of earlier guideline publications in 2011, ticagrelor was not yet FDA-approved or marketed, though it showed promise in the PLATO trial. 1 Current guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology (2020) and other major societies now recommend ticagrelor as a standard P2Y12 inhibitor for acute coronary syndrome management. 1
Dosing Regimen
The twice-daily dosing requirement stems from ticagrelor's relatively short half-life of approximately 7 hours (with its active metabolite AR-C124910XX having a half-life of 9 hours). 7