February 7th, 2012
Bleeding Problems Continue to Bedevil Merck’s Novel Antiplatelet Agent Vorapaxar
Larry Husten, PHD
In the large TRA-2P study of more than 26,000 patients with MI, ischemic stroke, or documented peripheral vascular disease, the novel antiplatelet agent vorapaxar significantly reduced the primary endpoint of CV death, MI, stroke, or urgent coronary revascularization. But treatment resulted in a significant increase in bleeding, including intracranial hemorrhage. The fate of vorapaxar now appears to be […]
November 13th, 2011
TRACER: Novel Antiplatelet Vorapaxar Runs Into Trouble in ACS
Larry Husten, PHD
The novel antiplatelet vorapaxar, which blocks the thrombin receptor to inhibit platelet activation, ran into trouble in the TRACER (Thrombin Receptor Antagonist for Clinical Event Reduction in Acute Coronary Syndrome) trial, which was stopped prematurely earlier this year due to safety concerns. TRACER was presented at the AHA by Ken Mahaffey and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine. […]
January 20th, 2011
Braunwald: Vorapaxar Problem Based on Intracranial Bleeding in Patients with History of Stroke
Larry Husten, PHD
A key detail has now emerged about the problems encountered with vorapaxar, Merck’s thrombin receptor antagonist that suffered a large setback last week. TIMI investigators in the TRA-2P TIMI 50 trial have been informed by Eugene Braunwald that the reason vorapaxar would be discontinued in patients who experienced a stroke prior to entry or during the trial […]