The Cost of Clopidogrel Use in Atrial Fibrillation in the ACTIVE-A Trial

BACKGROUND: The Atrial Fibrillation Clopidogrel Trial With Irbesartan for Prevention of Vascular Events-Aspirin (ACTIVE-A) demonstrated that in patients with atrial fibrillation unsuitable for vitamin K antagonist (VKA) therapy, a combination of clopidogrel and aspirin reduced stroke risk by 28% but increased major hemorrhage risk by 57%. This analysis examined cost implications of adding clopidogrel to aspirin (C+A) for ACTIVE-A patients.