What is "cangrelor"

n. A P2Y₁₂ inhibitor under investigation as an antiplatelet drug for intravenous application.

Cangrelor (trade name Kengreal in the US and Kengrexal in Europe) is a P2Y inhibitor FDA approved as of June 2015 as an antiplatelet drug for intravenous application. Some P2Y inhibitors are used clinically as effective inhibitors of adenosine diphosphate-mediated platelet activation and aggregation. Unlike clopidogrel (Plavix), which is a prodrug, cangrelor is an active drug not requiring metabolic conversion.

Poor interim results led to the abandonment of the two CHAMPION clinical trials in mid-2009. The BRIDGE study, for short term use prior to surgery, continues. The CHAMPION PHOENIX trial was a randomized study of over 11,000 patients published in 2013. It found usefulness of cangrelor in patients getting cardiac stents. Compared with clopidogrel given around the time of stenting, intravenous ADP-receptor blockade with cangrelor significantly reduced the rate of stent thrombosis and myocardial infarction. Reviewers have questioned the methodology of the trial.