The reversible P2Y12 antagonist ACT‐246475 causes significantly less blood loss than ticagrelor at equivalent antithrombotic efficacy in rat

The P2Y12 receptor is a validated target for prevention of major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with acute coronary syndrome. The aim of this study was to compare two direct-acting, reversible P2Y12 antagonists, ACT-246475 and ticagrelor, in a rat thrombosis model by simultaneous quantification of their antithrombotic efficacy and surgery-induced blood loss. Blood flow velocity was assessed in the carotid artery after FeCl3 -induced thrombus formation using a Doppler flow probe. At the same time, blood loss after surgical wounding of the spleen was quantified. Continuous infusions of ACT-246475 and ticagrelor prevented the injury-induced reduction of blood flow in a dose-dependent manner. High doses of both antagonists normalized blood flow and completely abolished thrombus formation as confirmed by histology. Intermediate doses restored baseline blood flow to ≥65%. However, ACT-246475 caused significantly less increase of blood loss than ticagrelor; the difference in blood loss was 2.6-fold (P < 0.01) at high doses and 2.7-fold (P < 0.05) at intermediate doses. Potential reasons for this unexpected difference were explored by measuring the effects of ACT-246475 and ticagrelor on vascular tone. At concentrations needed to achieve maximal antithrombotic efficacy, ticagrelor compared with ACT-246475 significantly increased carotid blood flow velocity in vivo (P = 0.003), induced vasorelaxation of precontracted rat femoral arteries, and inhibited contraction of femoral artery induced by electrical field stimulation or by phenylephrine. Overall, ACT-246475 showed a significantly wider therapeutic window than ticagrelor. The absence of vasodilatory effects due to high selectivity of ACT-246475 for P2Y12 provides potential arguments for the observed safety advantage of ACT-246475 over ticagrelor.