Cadrenal Therapeutics Enhances Anticoagulation Pipeline Through Acquisition of eXIthera’s Portfolio of Factor XIa Inhibitors
We bridge these gaps by developing novel and differentiated anticoagulants, or blood thinners, designed to provide greater predictability, increased stability, more precise control, and fewer bleeding complications
We currently have two clinical-stage assets: tecarfarin, an oral vitamin K antagonist (VKA) for chronic use, and frunexian, a parenteral small-molecule Factor XIa antagonist for use in acute hospital settings.
By targeting underserved patient populations and advancing therapies designed for both chronic and acute use, we aim to reshape standards of care in anticoagulation.
They are beneficial when they form at the site of an injury to prevent excessive blood loss. They are harmful when they form in the wrong places (such as heart attacks) or break loose in the bloodstream to block critical vessels (like in embolic strokes).
The primary purpose of any anticoagulant therapy is to prevent these harmful clots, but administering an anticoagulant is a delicate balance. All anticoagulant therapies have a therapeutic range: too little increases the risk of clotting, while too much raises the risk of bleeding.
For many high-risk patients, today’s therapies fail to provide the safety, reliability, and control they urgently need.
Despite ongoing advances in medical care, significant treatment gaps persist, especially in specific patient populations with narrow therapeutic windows that require high degrees of predictability, stability, and control.
In the U.S. alone, this population includes roughly one million patients facing several orphan and high-risk cardiovascular conditions including: end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib), as well as patients with implanted cardiac devices such as Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs) and Mechanical Heart Valves (MHVs).
At the same time, as acute treatments become more and more invasive, there is also a growing need to improve parenteral anticoagulant therapy used in acute and critical care circumstances by reducing the risk of bleeding complications.
Tecarfarin has a proven mechanism of action (similar to that of warfarin), but is metabolized in a completely different way, with the potential to provide more reliable anticoagulation than warfarin, making it easier to remain within the therapeutic range and reducing both thrombotic and bleeding complications.
The present development of tecarfarin is focused on two orphan cardiovascular conditions with particularly narrow therapeutic windows, where patients may be unable to achieve sufficiently reliable chronic anticoagulation with warfarin, and where DOACs have either failed or their efficacy and safety remain unproven: ESKD (end-stage kidney disease) patients with atrial fibrillation, and patients with implanted LVADs (left ventricular assist devices).
Frunexian is a parenteral small molecule inhibitor of Factor XIa, and the only intravenous (IV) small molecule Factor XIa specifically being developed for the acute/critical care hospital setting.
Frunexian development is focused on acute/critical care settings, including complex cardiac surgeries where contact activation of coagulation by medical devices or artificial surfaces plays a significant role.
