Ticagrelor Reversal Agent Shows Promise

Ticagrelor, an oral P2Y₁₂ inhibitor, is increasingly used to reduce the risk for ischemic events in patients with acute coronary syndrome or prior myocardial infarction. Nevertheless, drugs in this class confer increased bleeding risk, pointing to a need for reversal agents that can be used, for example, in patients about to undergo urgent invasive procedures. With no such agents yet available, current guidelines recommend ceasing use of oral P2Y₁₂ inhibitors 3 to 7 days before surgery.

In a single-center, manufacturer-funded, phase I trial (NCT03492385), investigators studied the safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetic profile of a neutralizing monoclonal antibody fragment that binds ticagrelor and its active circulating metabolite. They rand…