Long-term monotherapy with ticagrelor after coronary stenting: the GLOBAL LEADERS study

Dual antiplatelet treatment is currently the mainstay of pharmacologic treatment for patients after coronary percutaneous interventions for stable or acute coronary syndrome. The treatment decreases the incidence of thrombotic complications, but is responsible for an increased risk of bleeding. The advances in interventional cardiology and the development of new coronary stents, allow for a significant reduction of haemorrhagic complications secondary to antithrombotic treatment by either decreasing their dose or limiting their duration. The GLOBAL LEADERS study failed to demonstrate, after 2 years of follow-up, an advantage for the monotherapy with ticagrelor as compared to standard dual antiplatelet regimen. Nevertheless, focused appraisal of the study results, provide for some positive and promising new considerations. In fact, even though the results of the GLOBAL LEADER trial have not changed the current clinical practice, they provide the starting point for the design of new trials aiming at comparing new antithrombotic regimens which could be not inferior in terms of efficacy, but superior in terms of safety.