Cangrelor: a review on its mechanism of action and clinical development

In patients with acute coronary syndromes and undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, numerous large-scale clinical trials have shown that adjunctive treatment with the P2Y₁₂ receptor antagonist clopidogrel in addition to aspirin reduces ischemic events. These studies underscore the importance of blockade of the P2Y₁₂ signaling pathway in these settings. However, recent findings have shown that clopidogrel therapy may have some shortcomings. These include its broad range of interindividual-response profiles, where patients with low P2Y₁₂ inhibitory effects have an increased risk of recurrent ischemic events, including stent thrombosis, and its irreversible mechanism of action. These observations underscore the need for novel antiplatelet agents overcoming these limitations. Cangrelor (AR-C69931MX) is an intravenous, direct-acting and reversible P2Y₁₂ receptor antagonist. Cangrelor has a rapid onset and offset of action and achieves significantly greater degrees of platelet inhibition compared with clopidogrel. This article provides an overview of the current status of knowledge on cangrelor, focusing on its pharmacologic properties, clinical development and potential future applications.