ACE Technology Guidances

ACE Technology Guidances communicate recommendations from the MOH Drug Advisory Committee or the MOH Medical Technology Advisory Committee on the funding status and appropriate use of drugs, vaccines or medical technologies that have been evaluated by ACE. The guidances also include the Committee’s rationale for the funding recommendations, and key clinical and economic evidence which informed their deliberations. Plain English Summaries (PES) to explain ACE Technology Guidances are available for patients and the public.

Published on 05 Feb 2018
Last Updated on 02 Jan 2019
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Guidance Recommendations
The Ministry of Health's Drug Advisory Committee has recommended:
  • Ticagrelor 90 mg tablet for preventing thrombotic events (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction and stroke) in adults with acute coronary syndromes, that is, people:
    • with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI); or
    • with non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI); or
    • with unstable angina requiring hospitalisation—defined as ST or T wave changes on electrocardiogram suggestive of ischaemia plus one of the following characteristics:
      • age 60 years and older;
      • previous myocardial infarction;
      • previous coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG);
      • coronary artery disease with stenosis of 50% or more in at least two vessels;
      • previous ischaemic stroke;
      • previous transient ischaemic attack;
      • carotid stenosis of at least 50%;
      • cerebral revascularisation;
      • diabetes mellitus;
      • peripheral arterial disease; or
      • chronic renal dysfunction, defined as a creatinine clearance of less than 60 ml per minute per 1.73m2of body surface area.
Ticagrelor should be used in combination with low-dose aspirin for up to 12 months.

Subsidy status
Ticagrelor 90 mg tablet is recommended for inclusion on the Medication Assistance Fund (MAF) for the abovementioned indications. MAF assistance does not apply to the ticagrelor 60 mg tablet.

PES Ticagrelor for preventing thrombotic events in adults with acute coronary syndromes (Published 2 Jan 2019) Ticagrelor for preventing events in adults with ACS (2 Jan 2019)