6/28/23, 12:45 AM ASCEND (aspirin) Pathway Feedback Search Clinical Topics Home Studies ASCEND (aspirin) ASCEND (aspirin) Disease Disease Diabetes mellitus type 1 Diabetes mellitus type 2 Trial question What is the effect of aspirin for the prevention of first cardiovascular events in adult diabetic patients? Study design Multi-center Single blinded RCT Population Characteristics of study participants 37.0% female N = 15480 63.0% male 15480 patients (5796 female, 9684 male) Inclusion criteria: adult diabetic patients with no evident CVD Key exclusion criteria: clear indication for aspirin; contraindication to aspirin; known CVD; presence of other clinically significant conditions that might limit adherence to the trial regimen for at least 5 years Interventions N=7740 aspirin (100 mg PO once daily) N=7740 placebo (matching oral tablet once daily) Primary outcome https://web.pathway.md/studies/recRsJAL9vMtCcBix 1/2 6/28/23, 12:45 AM ASCEND (aspirin) Pathway Rate of serious vascular events at a mean follow-up of 7.4 years 9.6 % 9.6 8.5 7.2 % 4.8 % Significant decrease 2.4 % NNT = 91 0.0 % Aspirin Placebo Significant decrease in the rate of serious vascular events at a mean follow-up of 7.4 years (8.5% vs. 9.6%; RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.79 to 0.97) Secondary outcomes Significant increase in major bleeding events (4.1% vs. 3.2%; RR 1.29, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.52) Safety outcomes No significant differences in gastrointestinal tract cancer, any cancers excluding nonfatal nonmelanoma skin cancer. Conclusion In adult diabetic patients with no evident CVD, aspirin was superior to placebo with respect to the rate of serious vascular events at a mean follow-up of 7.4 years. Reference ASCEND Study Collaborative Group, Bowman L, Mafham M et al. Effects of Aspirin for Primary Prevention in Persons with Diabetes Mellitus. N Engl J Med. 2018 Oct 18;379(16):1529-1539. Open reference URL https://web.pathway.md/studies/recRsJAL9vMtCcBix 2/2