Searle & Chiron To Codevelop TFPI

Searle and Chiron have announced an agreement to collaborate on the development, manufacturing and marketing of tissue factor pathway inhibitor, a potent, naturally-occurring soluble protein which acts as a coagulation inhibitor. The companies believe the compound, which will enter Phase I clinical testing later this year, has applications in numerous thrombotic diseases, inflammatory diseases, trauma and critical care.

The announcement comes shortly after researchers from Oxford and Edinburgh Universities in the UK published in the journal Nature (August 25) that they have identified the structure of tissue factor. It is thought that a number of drug companies are screening for inhibitors of tissue factor, but Searle and Chiron are the first to announce that they are taking an inhibitor into the clinic.

Tissue factor is a cell-surface glycoprotein which initiates the blood coagulation cascade after vessel injury by interacting with Factor VII/VIIa. It is implicated in various pathological processes. Because tissue factor acts very early on in the coagulation cascade, it is hoped that potent coagulation inhibition will be achieved using low doses of drugs which block it, conferring potential advantages in ease of administration and safety.