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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03067844

Vascular Effects of Alirocumab in Acute MI-Patients

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most frequent cause of mortality in the industrialized world. Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for the development and progression of CAD. While statins currently represent the first-line, gold-standard therapy for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, nearly 50% of patients in Europe and Canada treated with statins do not achieve their target levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) or cannot tolerate effective statin doses.

Recently, a growing number of studies of PCSK9 inhibitors in a wide spectrum of patients with hyperlipidemia on or off lipid-lowering therapy, familial hypercholesterolemia, and statin intolerance demonstrated consistent, profound, and sustained reductions in LDL-C with greater magnitude of reduction as compared with high-dose statin regimens. However, the effects of PCSK9 inhibition on coronary plaque morphology remain unknown.

This study will investigate the effect of the PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab in patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the infarct-related artery and receiving guideline-recommended high-intensity statin therapy. A serial, multivessel, intravascular ultrasound, near-infrared spectroscopy and optical coherence tomography imaging study will be performed to determine the change in plaque volume at week 52. A total of 294 patients will be enrolled in the study and randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either alirocumab or placebo.

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 3

Primary location

University Hospital Vienna (AKH), Vienna, Austria

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About this study

Substudies

  • Biobank/drug monitoring, all sites
  • Lipidomics (n=294), all sites
  • Platelet Function (n=~150), Bern
  • Endothelial Function (n=~150), Bern
  • Neatherosclerosis (n=~294), all sites
  • Neutrophilic Extracellular Trap (NET), (n=~50), Vienna
  • OCT-NIRS/IVUS Matching Substudy (n=~104), Bern
  • Positron Emission Computed Tomography (PET-CT), (n=~50), Copenhagen
  • Shear Stress (n=~294), London
  • Quantitative Flow Ratio (QFR) (n=~294), Bern

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Male or female, age ≥18 years at screening;
  • Acute myocardial infarction: acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with pain onset within ≤24h, or non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), with at least one coronary segment (culprit lesion) requiring PCI;
  • LDL-C ≥70 mg/dL (≥1.8 mmol/L) assessed prior to, or during PCI in patients who have been receiving any stable statin regimen within ≥ 4 weeks prior to enrollment; OR LDL-C ≥125 mg/dL (≥3.2 mmol/L) in patients who are statin-naïve or have not been on stable statin regimen for ≥ 4 weeks prior to enrollment;
  • At least two major native coronary arteries ("target vessels") each meeting the following criteria for intracoronary imaging immediately following the qualifying PCI procedure: Angiographic evidence of <50% reduction in lumen diameter by angiographic visual estimation;
  • Target vessel deemed to be accessible to imaging catheters and suitable for intracoronary imaging in the proximal (50mm) segment ("target segment");
  • Target vessel may not be a bypass (saphenous vein or arterial) graft or a bypassed native vessel;
  • Target vessel must not have undergone previous PCI within the target segment;
  • Target vessel is not candidate for intervention at the time of qualifying PCI or over the following 6 months in the judgment of the Investigator;
  • Hemodynamic stability allowing the repetitive administration of nitroglycerine;
  • Ability to understand the requirements of the study and to provide informed consent;
  • Willingness to undergo follow-up intracoronary imaging.

Exclusion criteria

  • Left-main disease, defined as ≥50% reduction in lumen diameter of the left main coronary artery by angiographic visual estimation;
  • Three-vessel disease, defined as ≥70% reduction in lumen diameter of three major epicardial coronary arteries by angiographic visual estimation or in major branches of one or more of these arteries, irrespective of the localization (proximal 50mm or more distal localization) of the obstructive lesions;
  • History of coronary artery bypass surgery;
  • "Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction" (TIMI) flow <2 of the infarct-related artery after PCI;
  • Unstable clinical status (hemodynamic or electrical instability);
  • Significant coronary calcification or tortuosity deemed to preclude IVUS, NIRS and OCT evaluation;
  • Uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia, defined as recurrent and symptomatic ventricular tachycardia or atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response not controlled by medications in the past 3 months prior to screening;
  • Severe renal dysfunction, defined by estimated glomerular filtration rate <30 ml/min/1.73m2;
  • Active liver disease or hepatic dysfunction;
  • Known intolerance to rosuvastatin OR known statin intolerance;
  • Known allergy to contrast medium, heparin, aspirin, ticagrelor or prasugrel;
  • Known sensitivity to any substances to be administered, including known statin intolerance;
  • Patients who previously received alirocumab or other PCSK9 inhibitor;
  • Patient who received cholesterol ester transfer protein inhibitors in the past 12 months prior to screening;
  • Treatment with systemic steroids or systemic cyclosporine in the past 3 months;
  • Known active infection or major hematologic, metabolic, or endocrine dysfunction in the judgment of the Investigator;
  • Planned surgery within 12 months;
  • Patients who will not be available for study-required visits in the judgment of the Investigator;
  • Current enrollment in another investigational device or drug study;
  • History of cancer within the past 5 years, except for adequately treated basal cell skin cancer, squamous cell skin cancer, or in situ cervical cancer;
  • Estimated life expectancy less than 1 year;
  • Female of childbearing potential (age <50 years and last menstruation within the last 12 months), who did not undergo tubal ligation, ovariectomy or hysterectomy.

Treatment and study plan

Alirocumab

Drug

Pre-filled auto-injector pen every second week, starting at day 1 and up to week 50

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in percent atheroma volume (PAV)

    Time frame: Baseline to week 52

    Change in PAV by greyscale intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in total lipid-core burden index (LCBItotal)

    Time frame: Baseline to week 52

    Change in LCBItotal as determined by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)

  2. Change in maximum LCBI in any 4-mm segment (Powered)

    Time frame: Baseline to week 52

    Change in maximum LCBI in any 4-mm segment (maxLCBI4mm) as determined by NIRS

  3. Change in minimal fibrous cap thickness (Powered)

    Time frame: Baseline to week 52

    Change in minimal fibrous cap thickness as determined by optical coherence tomography (OCT)

  4. Change in mean fibrous cap thickness

    Time frame: Baseline to week 52

    Change in mean fibrous cap thickness as determined by OCT

  5. Change in average angular extension (AAE) of macrophages

    Time frame: Baseline to week 52

    Change in AAE of macrophages as determined by OCT

  6. Change in normalized total atheroma volume (NTAV)

    Time frame: Baseline to week 52

    Change in NTAV by IVUS

  7. Change in LDL-cholesterol

    Time frame: Baseline to week 52

    Change in LDL-cholesterol

  8. Change in hsCRP

    Time frame: Baseline to week 52

    Change in hsCRP

  9. Change in high sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT)

    Time frame: Baseline to week 52

    Change in hsTnT

  10. Change in N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP)

    Time frame: Baseline to week 52

    Change in NT-pro-BNP

  11. Change in further biomarkers

    Time frame: Baseline to week 52

    Change in lipid and inflammatory markers and their association with indices of plaque progression/regression

  12. Death

    Time frame: Baseline to week 52

    Any death, cardiac death

  13. Non-fatal myocardial infarction

    Time frame: Baseline to week 52

    Any non-fatal myocardial infarction

  14. Ischemia-driven coronary revascularization

    Time frame: Baseline to week 52

    Any ischemia-driven coronary revascularization

  15. Stroke

    Time frame: Baseline to week 52

    Any ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern

Other

Collaborators

  • Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Registry information

Official study title

Effects of the PCSK9 Antibody AliroCuMab on Coronary Atherosclerosis in PatieNts With Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Serial, Multivessel, Intravascular Ultrasound, Near-Infrared Spectroscopy And Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging Study

Acronym: PACMAN-AMI

Important dates

Study start
2017
Primary completion
2021
Study completion
2021
First posted
Mar 1, 2017
Registry last updated
Feb 24, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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