Ticagrelor for prevention of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who have coronary artery disease

Type 2 diabetes is a lifelong medical condition that causes the level of glucose in the blood to become too high due to problems with the hormone insulin. Type 2 diabetes can increase the risk of getting serious problems with the heart such as coronary artery disease (CAD). This is because having the condition increases the chance of having contributing risk factors for developing CAD such as high blood pressure, high levels of cholesterol, obesity and being physically inactive. CAD occurs when the heart's blood supply is blocked or interrupted by a build-up of fatty substances in the coronary arteries. It is one of the main causes of death and disability in the UK. More than half of type 2 diabetes patients will exhibit signs of CAD complications at diagnosis.
Ticagrelor is an oral blood thinning medicine used together with aspirin to prevent problems caused by blood clots and hardening of the arteries that leads to heart attacks or strokes. Ticagrelor is in a class of medications called antiplatelet medications that help prevent blood clots from forming. It is used in adults with acute coronary syndrome, a group of conditions in which blood flow in the vessels supplying the heart is blocked so heart tissue cannot work properly or dies, and which includes heart attack and chest pain. If licensed, ticagrelor will offer an additional antiplatelet therapy for the prevention of CAD in patients with type 2 diabetes.