(Reuters) -Bristol Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson have halted a major late-stage trial of their experimental blood clot drug, after an independent review found the study was unlikely to meet its main goal in patients with a type of heart disease. The decision, announced on Friday, followed a pre-planned interim analysis by the trial’s […]
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Bristol Myers, J&J stop blood clotting drug trial after interim review
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(Reuters) -Bristol Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson have halted a major late-stage trial of their experimental blood clot drug, after an independent review found the study was unlikely to meet its main goal in patients with a type of heart disease.
The decision, announced on Friday, followed a pre-planned interim analysis by the trial’s monitoring committee, which determined the drug, milvexian, was not expected to show benefit when added to standard antiplatelet therapy, which prevent platelets from clumping together and forming clots.
Shares of Bristol Myers fell 3.7%, while J&J slipped slightly.
The update reads negative for Bristol shares as the company looks to regain its footing following a string of recent clinical disappointments, said BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman.
The late-stage study was testing whether milvexian could prevent repeat heart problems in patients who recently suffered acute coronary syndrome, a condition that occurs when blood flow to the heart is suddenly blocked, usually by a clot.
The decision to discontinue the study likely removes the opportunity for milvexian in acute coronary syndrome, a market that Bristol had previously estimated could be as large as about 2 million patients across the U.S. and the European Union, Seigerman said.
Bristol Myers and J&J began collaborating in 2018 to co-develop and commercialize milvexian, which belongs to a new class of blood thinners that work by blocking a protein called Factor XIa.
The drug is designed to prevent dangerous blood clots while avoiding bleeding risks that limit current treatments.
No new safety issues were identified, the companies said.
The companies, however, said they remain optimistic about milvexian for other uses. Two other late-stage studies testing the drug, one in atrial fibrillation and another to prevent repeat strokes, are continuing, with results expected in 2026.
(Reporting by Kamal Choudhury in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva and Shilpi Majumdar)