Publications by authors named "Michele Mercuri"

NI006 (aka ALXN2220) is a therapeutic antibody candidate in phase III clinical development for the depletion of amyloid transthyretin (ATTR) in patients with ATTR cardiomyopathy, an infiltrative cardiomyopathy leading to increased left ventricular wall thickness (LVWT). The mode-of-action consists in removal of disease-causing amyloid accumulations by activating phagocytic immune cells, a mechanism without precedent in cardiology. To select a safe and potentially efficacious dose range and treatment duration for a combined first-in-human and proof-of-concept clinical phase Ib study, we developed a mechanistic pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model that can predict NI006 exposure, its effects on cardiac amyloid load and on LWVT, which is a predictor of heart failure in this disease.

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Background: Cardiovascular trials often use a composite end point and a time-to-first event model. We sought to compare edoxaban versus warfarin using the win ratio, which offers data complementary to time-to-first event analysis, emphasizing the most severe clinical events.

Methods: ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 (Effective Anticoagulation With Factor Xa Next Generation in Atrial Fibrillation-Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 48) was a double-blind, randomized trial in which patients with atrial fibrillation were assigned 1:1:1 to a higher dose edoxaban regimen (60/30 mg daily), a lower dose edoxaban regimen (30/15 mg daily), or warfarin.

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Article Synopsis
  • Transthyretin amyloid (ATTR) cardiomyopathy is a serious heart disease caused by misfolded proteins, and current treatments do not effectively remove these proteins from the heart.
  • A phase 1 clinical trial tested NI006, a recombinant human antibody, on 40 patients to evaluate its safety and effects on heart function, using a double-blind method with varying doses.
  • Results showed no serious side effects, and at higher doses, NI006 appeared to reduce markers of cardiac amyloid load and improve heart-related indicators over 12 months.
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Cardiac amyloidosis is a rare, debilitating, and usually fatal disease increasingly recognized in clinical practice despite patients presenting with non-specific symptoms of cardiomyopathy. The current standard of care (SoC) focuses on preventing further amyloid formation and deposition, either with anti-plasma cell dyscrasia (anti-PCD) therapies in light-chain (AL) amyloidosis or stabilizers of transthyretin (TTR) in transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR). The SoC is supplemented by therapies to treat the complications arising from organ dysfunction; for example, heart failure, arrhythmia, and proteinuria.

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This data paper describes the multinational Database of Flood Fatalities from the Euro-Mediterranean region FFEM-DB that hosts data of 2,875 flood fatalities from 12 territories (nine of which represent entire countries) in Europe and the broader Mediterranean region from 1980 to 2020. The FFEM-DB database provides data on fatalities' profiles, location, and contributing circumstances, allowing researchers and flood risk managers to explore demographic, behavioral, and situational factors, as well as environmental features of flood-related mortality. The standardized data collection and classification methodology enable comparison between regions beyond administrative boundaries.

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Introduction: The efficacy and safety of the oral factor Xa inhibitor edoxaban compared to warfarin stratified by CHADSVASc scores have not been described.

Methods: The ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 trial randomized patients with atrial fibrillation to once-daily edoxaban or warfarin. We classified patients based on CHADSVASc score and compared pharmacokinetics (edoxaban concentration), pharmacodynamics (anti-factor Xa [FXa] with edoxaban, time-in-therapeutic range for warfarin), efficacy (stroke or systemic embolism [SSE]), safety (major bleeding [MB], intracranial hemorrhage), and cardiovascular mortality, for the approved edoxaban regimen vs warfarin.

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Background: Safe administration of warfarin presents challenges due to a narrow therapeutic INR range and significant variability in inter-individual dose response. Bleeding secondary to warfarin use is a leading cause of hospitalization.

Methods: Five warfarin dosing algorithms were assessed for accuracy of predicted compared to the INR target dose for patients with a HAS-BLED score ≥3 participating in the ENGAGE-AF TIMI 48 trial.

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Aims: The present study aimed to assess the association between left atrial (LA) structure and function and the risk for cardiovascular (CV) death or heart failure (HF) hospitalization in a population with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods And Results: In a prospective echocardiographic substudy of the Effective Anticoagulation with Factor Xa Next Generation in AF-Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 48 (ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48) study, 971 patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography. The associations between LA structure (LA volume index [LAVi]) and function (LA emptying fraction [LAEF] and LA expansion index [LAEi]) and risk for the composite endpoint of CV death or HF hospitalization, and its components, were assessed.

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Background: Numerous scales exist for the classification of major bleeding events. Limited data compare the most commonly used bleeding scales within a single at-risk cohort of patients with atrial fibrillation. Here, we analyze bleeding outcomes according to the ISTH (International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis), TIMI (Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction), GUSTO (Global Usage of Strategies to Open Occluded Arteries), and BARC (Bleeding Academic Research Consortium) bleeding scales in the ENGAGE AF (Effective Anticoagulation With Factor Xa Next Generation in Atrial Fibrillation)-TIMI 48 trial (NCT00781391) of edoxaban versus warfarin.

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Background: Patients with liver disease have increased risk of thrombosis and bleeding but are typically excluded from trials of direct oral anticoagulant agents.

Objectives: This study evaluated the pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD), clinical efficacy and safety of edoxaban versus warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and history of liver disease.

Methods: ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 (Effective Anticoagulation With Factor Xa Next Generation in Atrial Fibrillation-Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction Study 48) was a randomized, double-blind trial comparing edoxaban with warfarin in patients with AF followed for 2.

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Aims: To investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods And Results: In the ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 trial, patients with AF were randomized to warfarin (international normalized ratio 2.0-3.

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Aims: Prior studies suggested that the risks of ischaemic stroke and bleeding in patients of Asian race with atrial fibrillation (AF) may be higher than that of non-Asians. In the analysis of ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 trial, we compared clinical outcomes, edoxaban concentration, and anti-factor Xa (anti-FXa) activity, between Asian and non-Asian races.

Methods And Results: There were 2909 patients of Asian race and 18 195 non-Asian race in the ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 trial.

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Background: The ABC (age, biomarker, clinical history)-stroke and ABC-bleeding risk scores incorporate clinical variables and cardiovascular biomarkers to estimate risk of stroke or systemic embolic events and bleeding, respectively, in patients with atrial fibrillation. These scores have been proposed for routine clinical use, but their performance in external cohorts remains uncertain.

Methods: ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 (Effective Anticoagulation With Factor Xa Next Generation in Atrial Fibrillation-Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 48) was a multinational randomized trial of the oral factor Xa inhibitor edoxaban in patients with atrial fibrillation and a CHADS score ≥2.

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Aims: Pacemaker, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, and cardiac resynchronization therapy device implantations and generator changes are frequently performed in patients receiving direct oral anticoagulants. In an exploratory analysis, we investigated the outcome of patients undergoing such device procedures in the ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 trial.

Methods And Results: During the trial, 1217 device procedures were performed in 1145 patients, with intervention dates available for 1203 procedures.

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Aim: To evaluate reproducibility of pulmonary embolism (PE) clot volume quantification using computed tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA) in a multicenter setting.

Methods: This study was performed using anonymized data in conformance with HIPAA and IRB Regulations (March 2015-November 2016). Anonymized CTPA data was acquired from 23 scanners from 18 imaging centers using each site's standard PE protocol.

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Background Anticoagulation in patients with malignancy and atrial fibrillation is challenging because of enhanced risks for thrombosis and bleeding and the frequent need for invasive procedures. Data on direct oral antagonists in such patients are sparse. Methods and Results The ENGAGE AF - TIMI 48 (Effective Anticoagulation With Factor Xa Next Generation in Atrial Fibrillation-Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction Study 48) trial randomized 21 105 patients with atrial fibrillation to edoxaban or warfarin.

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In the Hokusai VTE Cancer study, edoxaban was non-inferior to dalteparin for the composite outcome of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) and major bleeding in 1,050 patients with cancer-associated VTE. The absolute rate of recurrent VTE was 3.4% lower with edoxaban, whereas the absolute rate of major bleeding was 2.

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Background:: The relative efficacy and safety profile of the oral Factor Xa inhibitor edoxaban compared with warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation and established coronary artery disease (CAD) has not been analyzed.

Materials And Methods:: In the ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 trial, two edoxaban regimens were compared with warfarin in 21,105 patients with atrial fibrillation and CHADS ⩾2. We analyzed the primary trial endpoints (efficacy: stroke or systemic embolic event, safety: International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis major bleeding) in patients with versus without CAD, and used interaction testing to assess for treatment effect modification.

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Background: We previously reported exogenous antifactor Xa (FXa) activity as a pharmacokinetic surrogate marker for edoxaban plasma concentrations. Inhibition of endogenous FXa activity is a more biologically relevant pharmacodynamic measure of edoxaban activity. Here we describe the value of endogenous FXa activity as a pharmacodynamic marker linking edoxaban concentrations and clinical outcomes in the ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 trial (Effective Anticoagulation With Factor Xa Next Generation in Atrial Fibrillation-Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction Study 48).

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Background: The ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 trial (Effective Anticoagulation With Factor Xa Next Generation in Atrial Fibrillation-Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction) compared higher-dose edoxaban regimen (HD-ER) and lower-dose edoxaban regimen with well-managed warfarin in 21 105 patients with atrial fibrillation. The risk factors and clinical impact of gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) in this trial have not been described in detail.

Methods And Results: This analysis was undertaken to identify risk factors for major GIB (MGIB) and compare the severity and outcomes of GIB with edoxaban and warfarin.

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Background: Peri-operative management of anticoagulated patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is challenging. To gain information on the peri-operative management of edoxaban, we compared outcomes in patients on warfarin or edoxaban enrolled in ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 who underwent a surgery or invasive procedure.

Methods: Data from patients undergoing their first surgery/procedure were analysed and results compared by anticoagulant (warfarin vs.

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Background: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who interrupt anticoagulation are at high risk of thromboembolism and death.

Methods And Results: Patients enrolled in the ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 trial (randomized comparison of edoxaban vs. warfarin) who interrupted study anticoagulant for >3 days were identified.

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Pulmonary embolism (PE) studies used direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) with or without initial heparin. We aimed to (1) evaluate if PE patients benefit from initial heparin; (2) describe patient characteristics in the DOAC studies; and (3) investigate whether the anatomical extent of PE correlates with N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels, cause of PE, and recurrence rate. Our methods were (1) an indirect meta-analysis comparing the recurrence risk in DOAC-treated patients with or without initial heparin to those patients given heparin/vitamin K antagonist (VKA).

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Background: Many patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) are elderly, have multiple comorbidities and take several concomitant medications. Physicians may prefer warfarin over direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in such patients because comparative data are lacking. This analysis was designed to determine the effects of advanced age, comorbidities, and polypharmacy on the efficacy and safety of edoxaban and warfarin in patients with VTE.

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