NEJM original articles

Background. Patients with noncardioembolic ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) are at risk for recurrent stroke. Low factor XI levels are associated with a reduced risk of ischemic stroke. Asundexian inhibits activated factor XI. Whether the addition of asundexian to antiplatelet therapy would be superior to antiplatelet therapy alone for the secondary prevention of ischemic stroke is unclear.

Methods. In this phase 3, double-blind trial, we randomly assigned patients within 72 hours after the onset of a noncardioembolic ischemic stroke or high-risk TIA to receive asundexian (50 mg once daily) or placebo, in addition to planned dual or single antiplatelet therapy. Patients had at least one of the following: a nonlacunar infarct on imaging, a history of atherosclerosis, or evidence of atherosclerotic plaque at any location on cerebrovascular imaging. The primary efficacy outcome was ischemic stroke. The composite of death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, or stroke was a key secondary outcome. The primary safety outcome was major bleeding.

Results. Among 12,327 patients who underwent randomization (6162 to the asundexian group and 6165 to the placebo group), the incidence of ischemic stroke was lower in the asundexian group than in the placebo group (6.2% vs. 8.4%; cause-specific hazard ratio, 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.65 to 0.84; P<0.001). The incidence of the composite of death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, or stroke was lower in the asundexian group than in the placebo group. The incidence of major bleeding was similar in the asundexian group and the placebo group (1.9% and 1.7%, respectively; cause-specific hazard ratio, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.85 to 1.44). The incidence of adverse events was 69.3% in the asundexian group and 70.1% in the placebo group; the incidence of serious adverse events was 19.2% and 19.5%, respectively.

Conclusions. Among patients with noncardioembolic ischemic stroke or high-risk TIA treated with antiplatelet therapy, asundexian at a daily dose of 50 mg resulted in lower risks of ischemic stroke and major cardiovascular events than placebo, without a higher risk of major bleeding. (Funded by Bayer; OCEANIC-STROKE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT05686070.).

Background. The effect of adjunctive glucocorticoids in the primary treatment of Kawasaki disease in unselected patients remains unknown.

Methods. In this multicenter, open-label, randomized, controlled trial in China, we assigned participants with newly diagnosed Kawasaki disease in a 1:1 ratio to receive prednisolone plus standard treatment or standard treatment alone. The primary outcome was the occurrence of coronary-artery lesions at 1 month after illness onset. Prespecified key secondary outcomes, for which analyses were not controlled for multiplicity, included receipt of rescue therapy, duration of fever, change in the C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and changes in coronary-artery z scores.

Results. A total of 3208 participants underwent randomization, with coronary-artery lesions detected at baseline in 870 of 3184 participants (27.3%). At 1 month, coronary-artery lesions were detected in 16.0% of the participants receiving prednisolone plus standard treatment and in 13.8% of those receiving standard treatment alone (adjusted risk difference, 1.1 percentage points; 95% confidence interval, -1.0 to 3.4; P = 0.31). Rescue therapy was used in 4.6% of the participants receiving prednisolone plus standard therapy and in 10.1% of those receiving standard treatment alone; the median duration of fever was 8.4 hours and 13.2 hours, respectively, and the reductions in the C-reactive protein level at 72 hours were 67.5 mg per liter and 59.8 mg per liter. Decreases in coronary-artery z scores were similar in the two groups. At 3 months, the incidence of coronary-artery lesions was 12.6% with prednisolone plus standard therapy and 10.5% with standard treatment alone; the percentage of participants with progression of coronary-artery lesions was 28.6% and 28.9%, respectively, and the incidence of medium-to-giant coronary-artery aneurysms was 1.9% and 1.1%. The overall incidence of adverse events did not differ significantly between the two groups.

Conclusions. The addition of prednisolone to standard primary treatment for Kawasaki disease did not reduce the incidence of coronary-artery lesions at 1 month after illness onset. (Funded by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences and the National Natural Science Foundation of China; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04078568.).

Background. Whether selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) reduces mortality among patients undergoing mechanical ventilation and whether it adversely affects microbial ecology in the intensive care unit (ICU) remain unclear. In an earlier analysis of data from Australia, SDD did not result in a lower incidence of in-hospital death than standard care, but data from the full international trial are needed.

Methods. We randomly assigned ICUs in Australia and Canada to use SDD or to continue standard care for two 12-month periods in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. Patients in the SDD group received specific oral and gastric antimicrobial interventions for the duration of ventilation and an intravenous antibiotic agent for the first 4 days after enrollment. All other patients in the ICU were included in an observational ecologic assessment. Previously reported data from Australia are now combined with data from Canada. The primary outcome was in-hospital death from any cause at 90 days. The secondary clinical outcomes, assessed at 90 days, were death in the ICU and the number of days alive and free of mechanical ventilation, ICU admission, and hospitalization. Microbiologic secondary outcomes included new positive cultures for bloodstream infections and antibiotic-resistant organisms. For the ecologic assessment, the microbiologic outcomes were tested for noninferiority (noninferiority margin, 2 percentage points).

Results. In this trial involving 20,000 patients in 26 ICUs, 9289 patients were enrolled in the randomized trial and 10,711 were included in the ecologic assessment. At 90 days, 1175 of 4215 patients (27.9%) in the SDD group and 1494 of 5065 (29.5%) in the standard-care group had died before hospital discharge (odds ratio, 0.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84 to 1.05; P = 0.27). New bloodstream infections occurred in 4.9% of the patients in the SDD group and in 6.8% of those in the standard-care group (adjusted mean difference, -1.30 percentage points; 95% CI, -2.55 to -0.05); antibiotic-resistant organisms were cultured in 16.8% and 26.8%, respectively (adjusted mean difference, -9.60 percentage points; 95% CI, -12.40 to -6.80). In the ecologic assessment, noninferiority of SDD was not confirmed for the development of new antibiotic-resistant organisms. Adverse events considered to be related to SDD or standard care were reported in 12 patients (0.3%) in the SDD group and in no patients in the standard-care group. Serious adverse events occurred in 47 patients (1.1%) and 59 patients (1.2%), respectively.

Conclusions. Among critically ill patients undergoing mechanical ventilation, SDD did not result in a lower incidence of in-hospital death than standard care. (Funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02389036.).

Background. Current second-line treatments for immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) require long-term administration. Ianalumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting B cells, is being assessed as a short-course second-line therapy in ITP.

Methods. In this phase 3, randomized, double-blind trial, we assigned, in a 1:1:1 ratio, adults with primary ITP and an insufficient response or a relapse after first-line glucocorticoid therapy to receive ianalumab at a dose of 9 mg or 3 mg per kilogram of body weight or placebo once monthly for 4 months. Eltrombopag, an oral thrombopoietin-receptor agonist, was administered once daily in each group according to local prescribing information; the dose was tapered until discontinuation by the end of week 24 in eligible patients. The primary end point was freedom from treatment failure, as determined in a time-to-event analysis, with treatment failure defined by a platelet count of less than 30×10⁹ per liter more than 8 weeks after randomization, initiation of rescue therapy more than 8 weeks after randomization, initiation of new ITP therapy, inability to taper or discontinue eltrombopag because of an inadequate platelet count, or death from any cause, whichever occurred first. The key secondary end point was a stable response at 6 months, defined by a platelet count of at least 50×10⁹ per liter in at least 75% of the measurements between weeks 19 and 25 without use of rescue therapy or new ITP therapy. Safety was assessed.

Results. A total of 152 patients underwent randomization: 50 to the 9-mg ianalumab group, 51 to the 3-mg ianalumab group, and 51 to the placebo group. The estimated probability of being free from treatment failure at 12 months was 54% (95% confidence interval [CI], 39 to 67) in the 9-mg group, 51% (95% CI, 36 to 64) in the 3-mg group, and 30% (95% CI, 18 to 43) in the placebo group. The time to treatment failure was significantly longer with ianalumab plus eltrombopag than with placebo plus eltrombopag; the estimated hazard ratio for treatment failure (ianalumab vs. placebo) was 0.55 (P = 0.04) in the 9-mg group and 0.58 (P = 0.045) in the 3-mg group. The percentage of patients with a stable response at 6 months was significantly higher in the 9-mg group than in the placebo group (62% vs. 39%; P = 0.045). The overall frequency of adverse events during the treatment period was generally similar in the three groups. The frequency of serious adverse events was 16% in the 9-mg group, 6% in the 3-mg group, and 4% in the placebo group.

Conclusions. Ianalumab plus eltrombopag led to a longer time to treatment failure than placebo plus eltrombopag. (Funded by Novartis; VAYHIT2 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT05653219.).