Orbofiban: an orally active GPIIb/IIIa platelet receptor antagonist.

A key role has been established for platelet activation and thrombus formation in the pathogenesis of acute coronary syndromes, and restenosis after percutaneous interventions. Antiplatelet agents that have a wider spectrum of activity than aspirin, and clopidogrel would be expected to provide improved antithrombotic protection. Preclinical studies were used to predict clinical efficacy of orally active GPIIb/IIIa antagonists such as xemilofiban, sibrafiban, lefradafiban, and orbofiban. While clinical trials have shown potent and sustained platelet inhibition, outcomes of trials with these first generation GPIIb/IIIa compounds have been disappointing. The active moiety of orbofiban is a potent and specific inhibitor of fibrinogen binding to GPIIb/IIIa, leading to inhibition of platelet aggregation to a wide variety of agonists. Studies comparing inhibition of aggregation and bleeding suggest that chronic inhibition of platelet aggregation can be achieved without major bleeding side effects. Thrombus formation is prevented in canine models of thrombosis. Orbofiban is approximately 28% bioavailable with a t(1/2) of 18 hr. The high bioavailability, long half-life, and potential safety suggest orbofiban would be suitable for chronic oral administration. Clinical data demonstrate that orally administered orbofiban has the desired pharmacodynamic effect of inhibiting platelet aggregation but does not demonstrate clinical benefit when examined in large-scale trials.

Protective effect of oral xemilofiban in arterial thrombosis in dogs: increased activity in combination with aspirin.

BACKGROUND: Inhibition of platelet aggregation by preventing the binding of fibrinogen to glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa on activated platelets results in antithrombotic activity. We report on the antithrombotic effect of xemilofiban (SC-54684A), an oral GP IIb/IIIa antagonist, administered alone or with aspirin (ASA) in an acute thrombosis model. METHODS AND RESULTS: Conscious dogs were treated with xemilofiban (1.25, 2.5, 5.0, or 6 mg/kg, n=6); low-dose (LD, 81 mg) ASA, n=7; high-dose (HD, 162 mg) ASA, n=6; xemilofibran 1.25 mg/kg plus LD ASA, n=6; xemilofibran 1.25 mg/kg plus HD ASA, n=6; or placebo, n=7. Dogs were anesthetized 60 minutes later, and the effects of the treatments were evaluated after electrolytic injury (250 microA for 180 minutes) in the left circumflex coronary artery. Bleeding time (BT) was assessed in a separate study. Incidence of thrombosis was reduced (P<0.05) by xemilofiban > or =2.5 mg/kg, HD ASA, or xemilofiban 1.25 mg/kg plus HD ASA compared with placebo. Xemilofiban > or =2.5 mg/kg or xemilofiban 1.25 mg/kg plus HD ASA significantly increased time to occlusion, inhibited ex vivo platelet aggregation to collagen >90%, and prevented or decreased (P<0.05) cyclic flow variations (CFVs) compared with placebo. BT was increased (P<0.05) with xemilofiban > or =2.5 mg/kg but not with xemilofiban 1.25 mg/kg plus HD ASA. CONCLUSIONS: Xemilofiban > or =2.5 mg/kg, HD ASA, or xemilofiban 1.25 mg/kg plus HD ASA significantly reduced the incidence of thrombosis. These doses of xemilofiban or xemilofiban 1.25 mg/kg plus HD ASA increased time to occlusion, inhibited ex vivo platelet aggregation by >90%, and prevented or reduced CFVs. Xemilofiban > or =2.5 mg/kg but not xemilofiban 1.25 mg/kg plus HD ASA significantly increased BT.

Assessment of platelet function assays.

Optical aggregometry, traditionally used to assess platelet function, is highly dependent on sample preparation and technical procedure; as a result, data from various laboratories can be quite variable. In a study designed to assess the sources of variation, it was determined that the total standard deviation ranged from 3.6% to 7.7%. The assay variation by one analyst on one aggregometer on a single day ranged from 1.7 to 4.6. Day-to-day variation contributed 42% to 63% of the total variation, between-operator variation contributed 1% to 33% of the total variation, and within [between repeat measurements for a given sample by a given operator on a single day] variation contributed 22% to 36% of the total variation. Because of the disadvantages associated with optical aggregometry, alternate platelet function assays were considered and their correspondence to optical aggregometry was evaluated: activated clotting time, whole blood aggregometry, platelet count ratio, Platelet Function Analyzer (PFA-100, Dade), and Rapid Platelet function Assay (Accumetrics). Of those assays evaluated, activated clotting time and PFA-100 are assays that measure aspects of coagulation and hemostasis, whereas whole blood aggregometry, platelet count ratio, and RPFA are more closely related to platelet function. Each assay has value in monitoring various aspects of the coagulation process. The best method for monitoring safety and efficacy of various inhibitors of platelet function will ultimately be determined by clinical trials.

SC-54684A: an orally active inhibitor of platelet aggregation.

BACKGROUND: Intravenous therapy has been shown to be beneficial in the prevention of acute platelet-associated thrombotic events. However, orally active agents would be advantageous for chronic therapy. Fibrinogen receptor antagonists block the fibrinogen/platelet interaction and thus inhibit a step required for thrombus formation. To date, no orally active fibrinogen binding inhibitors have been characterized. SC-54684A, now in clinical trial, is the orally active prodrug of a potent and specific fibrinogen binding antagonist. METHODS AND RESULTS: We measured inhibition of 125I-fibrinogen binding to activated platelets and inhibition of aggregation in platelet-rich plasma to selected agonists and showed IC50s of 1.0 x 10(-8) and 3 to 7 x 10(-8) mol/L, respectively. Specificity of the active moiety was determined by studying its effect on the binding of (1) neutrophils to interleukin (IL)-1 beta-stimulated endothelial cells, (2) endothelial cells to fibronectin, and (3) vitronectin to isolated vitronectin and fibrinogen receptors. No effect was observed on the binding neutrophils to IL-stimulated endothelial cells or endothelial cell binding to fibronectin. There was a fivefold separation between binding to isolated receptors of vitronectin and fibrinogen. Collagen-induced aggregation was inhibited by 80%, and bleeding time was increased approximately 2.5-fold when the active moiety was infused to steady state at 0.2 micrograms/kg per minute in dogs. When the ester prodrug was given orally and the active moiety was given intravenously, the oral systemic activity was approximately 20%. Pharmacokinetic analysis after intravenous infusion of the prodrug or active moiety showed that the prodrug was rapidly converted to the active moiety; the active moiety had a t1/2 of 6.5 hours. When the prodrug was administered both orally and intravenously, the systemic availability of the active moiety was 62%. CONCLUSIONS: SC-54684A, an orally active antiplatelet drug now in clinical trial, is shown to be a potent, specific fibrinogen binding inhibitor that blocks platelet aggregation to a wide variety of known stimuli and has good bioavailability in animals.

Extended inhibition of platelet aggregation with the orally active platelet inhibitor SC-54684A.

BACKGROUND: Platelet aggregation is important in thrombotic events, and platelets play a major role in the etiology of several cardiovascular diseases. Platelet aggregation requires the binding of fibrinogen (fgn) to activated platelets. Synthetic peptides modeled after the RGD binding sequence on the fgn alpha-chain block the platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa receptor for fgn and effectively inhibit aggregation. SC-54684A (SCp, orally active prodrug of the active moiety SC-54701, SCa) is a mimetic of the RGD-containing peptide sequence that is recognized by the platelet GPIIb/IIIa receptor. SCa blocks the binding of fgn to the platelet and therefore prevents platelet aggregation in response to all agonists. METHODS AND RESULTS: SCp was administered orally at 1.25, 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 mg/kg in a single-dose, dose-ranging study. Blood samples were taken periodically for 24 hours, and platelet-rich plasma was prepared and tested for inhibition of ex vivo collagen-induced platelet aggregation. The plasma concentration of active moiety was determined by bioassay. The time, inhibition, and concentration data were used to predict two doses that would result in minimum daily inhibition levels of 30% and 70% when administered twice daily (0.6 and 2.4 mg/kg, respectively). SCp was administered orally to conscious dogs twice daily for 14 days (after dose adjustment). Blood samples were obtained at daily peak and trough plasma levels (predicted from dose-ranging study). Inhibition of ex vivo collagen-induced platelet aggregation and concentration of active moiety in the plasma were determined. Average inhibition of platelet aggregation and plasma concentration of active moiety amounted to approximately 21% and 14 ng/mL at 1.5 mg/kg BID and 75% and 24 ng/mL at 2.4 ng/kg BID at daily minimum plasma levels (trough) in steady state. Platelet counts in the 2.4-mg/kg group declined from 3.2 x 10(5)/microL to 2.5 x 10(5)/microL in the first 9 days of dosing, with no further decline despite continued administration of compound. No changes were observed in the animals receiving 1.5 mg/kg. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the dose-ranging study show that oral administration of SCp results in dose-dependent inhibition of platelet aggregation. As shown in the 14-day administration, this dose-dependent inhibition can be maintained for an extended period while exhibiting no adverse effects. SCp is a leading candidate for development and is currently in clinical trials.

A new method for measurement of plasma concentration of orally active glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonists.

A bioassay for determining concentrations of antiplatelet compounds in plasma or aqueous solution has been developed. The method uses an aliquot of plasma from treated animals to inhibit collagen-induced platelet aggregation in pooled platelet-rich plasma (PRP) obtained from donor dogs. The concentration in plasma from treated animals was estimated using a standard curve of inhibition established using plasma from untreated animals which had been spiked with known amounts of compound. For independent validation, plasma concentrations of certain compounds were determined in identical dog plasma samples by both bioassay and HPLC. Results from the two methods were concordant. The bioassay provides an accurate and sensitive method for measuring antiplatelet activity without the need for extraction of plasma samples and may be used to measure activity in any solution which is compatible with PRP. This assay is routinely used to provide an estimate of absorption of prodrugs and systemic conversion to active compound after oral dosing. Some of the compounds of interest are ester-acid pairs with the inactive ester prodrug being cleaved to the active acid following administration. Compounds were administered orally (ester) or IV (acid) and blood samples were taken periodically for 24 hours. Plasma concentration of active moiety was determined for each time point and the area under the curve (AUC) of concentration vs. time was calculated. Comparing the AUCs for oral and IV routes of administration yielded the Oral Systemic Activity (OSA), a measure of active compound available after oral dosing.