FDA approves Kengreal, a new antiplatelet drug used during heart procedure

The US Food and Drug Administration yesterday approved The Medicines Company’s (Nasdaq: MDCO) Kengreal (cangrelor), an intravenous antiplatelet drug that prevents formation of harmful blood clots in the coronary arteries.

Kengreal is approved for adult patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a procedure used to open a blocked or narrowed coronary artery to improve blood flow to the heart muscle. The Medicines Company expects the drug to be available in the USA in July. The drug was approved by the European Commission earlier this year under the name Kengrexal (The Pharma Letter March 31).

“The approval of Kengreal provides a new option for PCI,” said Clive Meanwell, chairman and chief executive of The Medicines Company. “This novel drug will potentially decrease thrombotic risk in the acute care setting, deliver value to the healthcare system alongside Angiomax, and help us to increase our commercial offerings in the cath lab,” Dr Meanwell noted.