Efficacy of abciximab for patients undergoing balloon angioplasty: data from Japanese evaluation of c7E3 Fab for elective and primary PCI organization in randomized trial (JEPPORT).

BACKGROUND: The efficacy and safety of abciximab were investigated in Japanese patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute myocardial infarction (MI) or unstable angina.

METHODS AND RESULTS: The 973 patients were randomized into 3 groups: the low-dose group (L group) received bolus injection of 0.20 mg/kg followed by 12-h infusion; the high-dose group (H group) received bolus injection of 0.25 mg/kg followed by 12-h infusion; the placebo group (P group) received bolus and infusion of placebo. The incidence of the primary endpoint (30-day post-PCI coronary events: death, MI or urgent revascularization) was 3.6%, 1.6%, and 4.1% in the P, L, and H groups, respectively, with no significant difference between the P and L groups (P=0.104) or between the P and H groups (P=0.772). The incidence of bleeding tended to increase in a dose-dependent manner.

CONCLUSION: No significant difference in the incidence of coronary events was found between the placebo and abciximab groups, so the efficacy of abciximab in preventing post-PCI coronary events in Japanese patients was not confirmed.