A Safety Evaluation of Cangrelor in Patients Undergoing PCI

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and an oral ADP P2Y12 receptor antagonist is the standard-of-care for treatment of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, oral P2Y12 receptor antagonists have several limitations, including inter- and intra-individual response variability, drug-drug interactions, slow onset and offset of action and delayed platelet inhibition in high-risk clinical settings, such as patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.Areas covered: Cangrelor is an intravenous, direct-acting, reversible, potent P2Y12 receptor antagonist. It rapidly achieves near complete platelet inhibition and has a very short half-life and a fast offset of action. We conducted a systematic review searching PubMed/MEDLINE for pharmacodynamic/pharmacokinetic studies and clinical trials in which cangrelor was investigated, published from any time up to November 1st 2015. For clinical trials, those investigating cangrelor in the setting of PCI we...