Randomized comparison of eptifibatide versus abciximab in primary percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: results of the EVA-AMI Trial.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to compare eptifibatide and abciximab as adjuncts to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). BACKGROUND The glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitor abciximab as adjunct to primary PCI in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarctions has been shown to reduce ischemic complications and improve clinical outcomes. So far, no trial has been performed to compare the efficacy of another GP IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitor, eptifibatide, and abciximab in primary PCI. METHODS A total of 427 patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarctions <12 h and planned primary PCI were randomized to double-bolus eptifibatide (n = 226) followed by a 24-h infusion or single-bolus abciximab (n = 201) followed by a 12-h infusion. In this noninferiority trial, the primary end point was the incidence of complete (> or =70%) ST-segment resolution (STR) 60 min after PCI, a measure of myocardial reperfusion. The assumption was a 60% complete STR rate in the abciximab group. The noninferiority margin was set to 15%. RESULTS The incidence of complete STR at 60 min after PCI in the intention-to-treat analysis was 62.6% after eptifibatide and 56.3% after abciximab (adjusted difference: 7.1%; 95% confidence interval: 2.7% to 17.0%). All-cause mortality 6.2% versus 4.5% (p = 0.50); reinfarction 0.4% versus 3.5% (p = 0.03); target vessel revascularization 4.4% versus 6.5% (p = 0.40); the combined end point of death, nonfatal reinfarction, and target vessel revascularization 10.6% versus 10.9% (p = 0.90); stroke 0.5% versus 0.5% (p = 1.00) after 6 months; and Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction major bleeding complications 4.0% versus 2.0% (p = 0.20) after 30 days were observed after eptifibatide and abciximab, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Eptifibatide as an adjunct to primary PCI is equally as effective as abciximab with respect to STR. (Efficacy of Eptifibatide Compared to Abciximab in Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention [PCI] for Acute ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction [STEMI]; NCT00426751).