Nuvelo Completes Enrollment of Trial in Acute Coronary Syndromes

Nuvelo has announced the completion of patient enrollment in its Phase IIa clinical trial of recombinant nematode anticoagulant protein c2 (rNAPc2), showing that rNAPc2 has an acceptable safety profile and is well-tolerated in doses up to 10 mcg/kg, in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (ACS).

ACS is a potentially life-threatening heart condition that accounts for over one million hospitalizations annually in the U.S. ACS occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque ruptures in a coronary artery, which triggers the coagulation cascade resulting in the formation of a blood clot. The clot blocks the flow of blood to the heart muscle, depriving it of oxygen and results in either acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina.

This multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, ascending dose-escalation study, known as ANTHEM (Anticoagulation with NAPc2 To Help Eliminate Mace)/TIMI 32, was conducted with the TIMI Study Group led by Eugene Braunwald of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. The trial investigated the safety of rNAPc2 in combination with other anticoagulants in 200 patients with ACS.