Pick up Novarth! Anthos Therapeutics received an immediate $250 million investment.

Text . . . Anthos Therapeutics, a Massachusetts-based start-up biopharmaceutical company, focuses on advancing next-generation targeted therapies for patients with high-risk cardiovascular disease.
it was founded in 2019 by blackstone, the asset manager, and Novartis, the pharmaceutical giant.
a minority stake after Blackstone invested $250 million in Anthos and controlled the development of the product.
photo source: Anthos Therapeutics' official website, Anthos, has been licensed by Novarth's targeted drug MAA868 (Abelacimab) and will continue to develop the drug.
MAA868 is an antibody drug for thrombosis that has the ability to prevent a range of cardiovascular diseases and is long-lasting, meaning patients may only need to be given once a month without being given daily.
MAA868 is currently in Phase II clinical trials, Anthos said that if successful, it will change the standard of care for patients with cardiovascular disease, which is good news for the millions of patients affected by cardiovascular disease each year.
blood clots, blocking blood vessels can lead to heart attacks or strokes, which together account for about a quarter of global deaths.
About 45 percent of people at risk of thrombosis do not receive treatment or are not well treated, mainly because of concerns about the risk of bleeding," said John Glasspool, CEO and President of Anthos.
unseeded needs for cardiovascular disease do deserve more attention.
are happy to develop drugs in areas where other companies don't pay much attention.
" anticoagulant MAA868, which retains hemostative function, is an antibody that targets specific clotting proteins and acts on factor XI (important for a branch of the clotting path, preventing it from activating other clotting factors and cutting off the chain reaction of clotting from the start).
As one of the next generation anticoagulants of the target factor XI, MAA868, unlike other anticoagulants being developed for the same target, has dual activity and can be combined with the inactive and active forms of coagulation factor.
structural studies have shown that MAA868 captures factor XI and its active form (factor XIa) in an inactive, enzyme-like composition, which explains why MAA868 pairs of factor XI and factor XIa have the same high binding affinity.
this binding pattern allows the enzyme to be neutraled before entering the clotting process, demonstrating the antibody's special anticoagulant resistance.
reduces the risk of blood clots without increasing the risk of bleeding is the key to MAA868.
Because factors XI and XIa have a greater relationship with thrombosis than with normal clotting (hemostation), the drug is expected to selectively prevent thrombosis without damaging post-injury clotting.
traditional blood thinners such as Xarelto and Eliquis blocker Xa, while huafarin interferes with vitamin K activity, which is necessary to produce factors II, VII, IX and X, and heparin indirectly blocks the production of factor Xa by activating another factor, Xa inhibition protein.
Xa is located at the intersection of two branches of the clotting path, which means that it affects both thrombosis and normal blood clotting.
and the factor XI affects only one branch and is selective for clotting.
why drugs in the form of antibodies are currently most blood thinners are small molecule drugs.
then, why did Anthos choose antibody anticoagulants? "Antibodies can bring some significant benefits in patient management and optimization.
," Glasspool explains.
, one of the benefits is that the removal of antibodies from the body avoids the renal inseventry that traditional small molecule blood thinners may face.
because many patients at risk of thrombosis are older, they often have other combinations, such as impaired kidney function or liver disease, which can affect the treatment of the drug.
changes in renal function in patients may also have a significant impact on blood levels of anticoagulants, resulting in a higher risk of bleeding.
other benefit is that antibodies are less likely to interact with other drugs than small molecule drugs.
patients may take multiple medications for other diseases.
addition, MAA868's monthly medication is an additional convenience for patients and their caregivers.
reduce the dose burden from once or even twice a day to once/twice a month will also increase compliance.
" compliance is important for any drug, especially for anticoagulants, and a lack of a dose can cause patients to avoid thrombosis complications for a period of time.
," Glasspool added.
preclinical and preclinical results of Novarma showed that non-human primates treated with MAA868 had long-lasting anticoagulant activity without any signs of bleeding.
in their first human trials, the company reported good resistance to MAA868, which lasts at least four weeks.
now, Anthos is conducting a randomized, placebo-controlled Phase II trial of 48 adults with atrial fibrillation or irregular heart rate.
major complication of atrial fibrillation is the formation of blood clots in the heart, which can enter the blood circulation and lead to stroke.
this is why anticoagulants are often used with medications that regulate heart rate.
patients with atrial fibrillation need long-term protection, finding new anticoagulants with the least risk of bleeding is key.
Glasspool concluded: "The Phase II study will provide a conceptual validation of the efficacy and relevance of reducing bleeding.
will be able to determine the value of MAA868 relative to current competitors and guide future clinical plans.
" References: 1 s Anthos Therapeutics is Developing a Hemostasis-Sparing Anticoagulant to Reduce the Hazard of Bleeding (Source: BioSpace) 2 s Blackstone Life Sciences and Novartis Launch Anthos Therapeutics to DevelopIng Medicines for CardioVascular Disease; Blackstone Life Sciences Leads $250M Financing (Source: Anthos Therapeutics) Original title: Pick up Novart! The start-up is committed to developing the next generation of anticoagulants, with an immediate $250 million investment.