Affimed's antithrombotic Ab completes proof-of-concept trial

Germany's Affimed, a privately-held biopharmaceutical firm focused on antibody therapeutics, says that it has completed an in vivo proof-of-concept trial of its lead developmental antithrombosis candidate. The company explained that the agent had an anthrombotic effect that was comparable to trofiban and eptifibatide but that, in contrast to these drugs, did not prolong bleeding duration.

Affimed's candidate is a fully-human antibody that targets the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor, which is a major component in the bloodclot formation cascade. The company added that, unlike currently-available competitor products, such as Eli Lilly/Centocor's Reopro (abciximab), its drug candidate predominantly binds the activated form of the receptor target.