Cangrelor (AstraZeneca/ The Medicines Company) maintains platelet inhibition and anti-clotting levels prior to Cardiac Surgery

A study shows that cangrelor, from AstraZeneca/The Medicines Company, has the unique properties of achieving very fast blood thinning effects when needed to protect from heart attacks, but also dissipates rapidly so patients can undergo surgery without the excessive bleeding often associated with blood thinning medications. The BRIDGE trial tested the efficacy of this intravenous antiplatelet therapy that allows patients to be "bridged" from the time that their physicians stop their oral antiplatelet drugs until they undergo cardiac surgery. The results, published in Journal of the American Medical Association, demonstrated that in 99 % of patients treated, cangrelor maintained target levels of platelet inhibition known to be associated with a low risk of blood clotting events, such as stent thrombosis. This compared to 19 percent of placebo patients with no significant excess in surgical bleeding complications. The lead investigator is Eric Topol, chief academic officer at Scripps Health and director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute. See: JAMA. 2012;307[3]:265-274.