PhaseBio’s Reversal Agent for Astra’s Brilinta could Spell Success for Both

For millions of cardiac patients, antiplatelet therapies (P2Y12 inhibitors) such as ticagrelor (Brilinta) and clopidogrel (Plavix), are a blessing that reduces their risk from blood clots that may cause acute coronary syndrome – typically strokes or heart attacks. If such patients need surgery, they must stop taking the drug for about five days so it can exit their systems. However, if surgery cannot be delayed, that blessing quickly becomes a curse that could cause them to bleed out on the operating table.