The efficacy and safety of ticagrelor and clopidogrel in patients with stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remain uncertain. Thus, this study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of ticagrelor and clopidogrel in patients with SCAD treated with PCI. Methods: A total of 9,379 patients with SCAD undergoing PCI who received dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) were consecutively enrolled in two groups, namely, ticagrelor (n 1,081) and clopidogrel (n 8,298) groups. Major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) and bleeding events according to ticagrelor or clopidogrel use were compared. Results: After propensity matching (n 1,081 in each group), ticagrelor was associated with fewer MACCEs compared with clopidogrel (3.6% vs. 5.7%, hazard ratio [HR] 0.62, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.41-0.93, p 0.019), and the difference between ticagrelor and clopidogrel for bleeding events was nonsignificant (1.7% vs. 1.2%, HR 1.39, 95% CI 0.68-2.85, p 0.366). On the other hand, the difference between ticagrelor and clopidogrel for net adverse clinical events was significant (4.1% vs. 6.0%, HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.46-0.98, p 0.039). In a multivariate analysis, the use of ticagrelor, number of stents, previous history of diabetes, previous history of smoking, and ACC/AHA type B2 or C lesions were considered independent predictors of MACCEs, while radial artery access, previous history of stroke, and weight 60kg were independent predictors of bleeding events. Conclusions: Ticagrelor was associated with a lower incidence of MACCEs without an increased risk of bleeding events in patients with SCAD receiving PCI. Thus, to overcome the shortcomings of clopidogrel, a new generation of antiplatelet drugs, namely, prasugrel and ticagrelor, has been developed 6). Ticagrelor is a reversible, nonthienopyridine, P2Y12 oral inhibitor that has a faster onset and offset of action and a higher inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation compared with clopidogrel 7) , which requires metabolic activation through a multistep process involving multiple cytochrome P450 isoenzymes 8). Ticagrelor can bind directly to the P2Y12 receptor and inhibit platelet aggregation induced by Copyright©2020 Japan Atherosclerosis Society This article is distributed under the terms of the latest version of CC BY-NC-SA defined by the Creative Commons Attribution License.