Comparison of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy De-escalation by Dose Reduction Versus Switching in Patients Undergoing PCI: The Switching Antiplatelet-8 (SWAP-8) Study

Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with low-dose aspirin and a P2Y12 inhibitor is the current standard of care in patients with coronary artery disease experiencing an acute event or undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. However, the ischemic benefits are counterbalanced by a significant increase in bleeding events. Over time, different DAPT de-escalation strategies have been developed to reduce the bleeding risk while maintaining the ischemic protection, but there is currently no head-to-head comparison between them. The purpose of this clinical trial is to conduct a head-to-head comparison on the pharmacodynamic efficacy of DAPT de-escalation by dose reduction to low-dose prasugrel (5 mg od) and DAPT de-escation by switching from standard-dose more potent P2Y12 receptor inhibitor to standard-dose clopidogrel (75 mg). To determine if the PD profiles of these two strategies are comparable, we aim to conduct a non-inferiority study.