Key result
Twice-daily aspirin cuts serum thromboxane B2 ~85% vs. once-daily dosing in essential thrombocythemia.
Why the study?
Heightened platelet turnover in essential thrombocythemia may limit the duration of irreversible COX-1 inhibition achieved with conventional once-daily low-dose aspirin, prompting a critical appraisal of once-daily versus twice-daily dosing regimens.
Does dividing low-dose aspirin into a twice-daily regimen improve platelet cyclooxygenase-1 inhibition (measured by serum thromboxane B2 suppression) compared to once-daily dosing in patients with essential thrombocythemia?
Does dividing low-dose aspirin into a twice-daily regimen improve platelet cyclooxygenase-1 inhibition (measured by serum thromboxane B2 suppression) compared to once-daily dosing in patients with essential thrombocythemia?
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Dividing low-dose aspirin into a twice-daily regimen overcomes accelerated platelet turnover in essential thrombocythemia to provide more sustained COX-1 inhibition and microvascular symptom relief without increasing major bleeding, though event-driven trials are still needed.
Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a clonal myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by sustained thrombocytosis and a clinically relevant risk of arterial and microvascular thrombosis. Low-dose aspirin administered once daily remains a cornerstone of antithrombotic management in this setting. Nevertheless, emerging pharmacodynamic data indicate that the heightened platelet turnover inherent to ET may limit the duration of irreversible cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) inhibition achieved with conventional once-daily dosing. This narrative review was undertaken to critically appraise and synthesize contemporary evidence comparing once-daily and twice-daily low-dose aspirin regimens in patients with ET. A structured search of the PubMed database identified original investigations published within the past decade that directly evaluated dosing frequency in ET, with particular emphasis on biochemical indices of platelet inhibition. Four studies fulfilled predefined eligibility criteria, encompassing crossover pharmacodynamic analyses and randomized controlled trials. Across these investigations, twice-daily administration was consistently associated with lower end-of-interval serum thromboxane B₂ concentrations, reduced inter-individual variability in COX-1 suppression, and diminished dependence of treatment response on baseline platelet count. In contrast, once-daily therapy frequently permitted partial recovery of thromboxane generation before the subsequent dose, particularly among patients with elevated platelet turnover. Although available trials were not powered to detect differences in major thrombotic outcomes, surrogate markers of platelet activation and selected symptom-based endpoints uniformly favored divided dosing without a demonstrable excess of major bleeding. Collectively, the current evidence suggests that dose fractionation of low-dose aspirin provides a more sustained and biologically coherent antiplatelet effect in ET. However, given that existing data are largely surrogate-driven, definitive conclusions regarding clinical benefit require confirmation in adequately powered, event-driven randomized studies. Keywords: Essential Thrombocythemia, Aspirin, Dosing Frequency, Twice-Daily Administration, Thromboxane B₂, Platelet Turnover, Cyclooxygenase-1 Inhibition, Thrombosis. ABSTRAK Essential thrombocythemia (ET) merupakan neoplasma mieloproliferatif klonal yang ditandai oleh trombositosis persisten serta peningkatan risiko trombosis arteri dan mikrovaskular. Pemberian aspirin dosis rendah satu kali sehari selama ini menjadi pilar utama dalam pencegahan komplikasi trombotik pada populasi ini. Namun demikian, bukti farmakodinamik terkini menunjukkan bahwa peningkatan turnover trombosit yang menjadi karakteristik ET dapat membatasi durasi inhibisi siklooksigenase-1 (COX-1) yang dicapai dengan regimen konvensional satu kali sehari. Tinjauan naratif ini disusun untuk mengevaluasi dan mensintesis secara kritis bukti mutakhir yang membandingkan efektivitas aspirin dosis rendah satu kali sehari dan dua kali sehari pada pasien ET. Pencarian literatur terstruktur melalui basis data PubMed mengidentifikasi penelitian orisinal dalam sepuluh tahun terakhir yang secara langsung membandingkan frekuensi pemberian aspirin pada ET, dengan fokus pada parameter biokimia inhibisi trombosit. Empat studi memenuhi kriteria inklusi, meliputi desain crossover farmakodinamik dan uji klinis teracak. Secara konsisten, pemberian dua kali sehari menunjukkan kadar tromboksan B₂ serum pada akhir interval dosis yang lebih rendah, variabilitas respons antarindividu yang lebih kecil, serta penurunan ketergantungan efektivitas terapi terhadap jumlah trombosit awal. Sebaliknya, pada regimen satu kali sehari sering ditemukan pemulihan parsial produksi tromboksan sebelum dosis berikutnya, terutama pada pasien dengan turnover trombosit yang tinggi. Meskipun uji yang tersedia belum dirancang untuk menilai luaran klinis mayor secara definitif, parameter surrogate inhibisi trombosit dan beberapa luaran berbasis gejala secara umum mendukung regimen dua kali sehari tanpa peningkatan bermakna kejadian perdarahan mayor. Secara keseluruhan, bukti yang ada menunjukkan bahwa pembagian dosis aspirin dosis rendah menjadi dua kali sehari menghasilkan profil farmakodinamik yang lebih stabil dan secara biologis lebih sesuai dengan karakteristik patofisiologi ET. Namun, mengingat sebagian besar data masih berbasis parameter surrogate, diperlukan uji klinis teracak dengan luaran klinis yang memadai untuk memastikan relevansi klinis dari strategi intensifikasi frekuensi dosis ini. Kata Kunci: Essential Thrombocythemia, Aspirin Dosis Rendah, Frekuensi Dosis, Dua Kali Sehari, Tromboksan B₂, Inhibisi COX-1, Turnover Trombosit, Pencegahan Trombosis.
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Mu’adz et al. (2026) conducted a review in Essential thrombocythemia (ET) (n=758). Twice-daily (or three-times-daily) low-dose aspirin vs. Once-daily low-dose aspirin (75 mg to 100 mg once daily) was evaluated on End-of-interval serum thromboxane B2 (sTXB2) concentration (surrogate marker of platelet COX-1 inhibition). Twice-daily low-dose aspirin consistently lowered end-of-interval serum thromboxane B2 by roughly 80-90% compared to once-daily dosing in patients with essential thrombocythemia.
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