An intravenous, fast acting direct acting platelet adenosine diphosphate P2Y12 inhibitor with rapidly reversible effects.
When administered as a bolus its antiplatelet effect is immediate, and that effect can be maintained with a continuous infusion.
The plasma half-life is approximately 3-5 minutes, and platelet function is restored within one hour after the cessation of the intravenous infusion.
In a double-blind, placebo controlled trial, randomly assigned 11,145 patients undergoing urgent or elective PCI and receiving recommended therapy to receive a bolus and infusion of this agent or to receive a loading dose of 600 mg or 300 mg of Clopidogrel: cangrelor reduced the rate of ischemic events including stent thrombosis during PCI with no significant increase in severe bleeding (CHAMPION PHOENIX INvestigators).
Compared with clopidogrel administerd before and after PCI, IV ADP-receptor blockade with cangrelor significantly reduces the rate of periprocedural complications including stent thrombosis: Reduction in the rate of acute periprocedural myocardial infarction accounts for most of the benefit.
In the above studies ischemic events were 22% lower with cangrelor than clopidogrel without an increase in severe bleeding or need for transfusions.