Finding biotech treatments for critically ill patients

Thrombologic is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in Copenhagen, Denmark, and we are developing new therapeutics based on discoveries from Rigshospitalet (Copenhagen University Hospital).

Our mission

Our goal is to develop a new therapy for treating critical illnesses such as severe community acquired pneumonia  where  it is not the bacteria that lead to multiple organ dysfunction and death but problems in the host immune and coagulation pathways. We have developed a drug, THR-B7 based on two repositioned  drugs, which  should enable us to pursue an abbreviated clinical development path – and so bring a life-saving treatment to patients.

Thr-B7 – the drug

THR-B7 was designed to treat critically ill patients with interventions that protect the endothelium, prevent pathologic thrombus formation in the microcirculation, and preserve platelet number and function. Such interventions will protect critically ill patients against the development of bleeding, immunodeficiency, multiple organ dysfunction, and ultimately, death. THR-B7 is an intra-venous drug composed of two repositioned drugs, Eptifibatide (brand name Integrilin®) and Iloprost (brand name Ilomedin®), which have the sought after effects that protect the endothelium, prevent pathologic thrombus formation in the microcirculation, and preserve platelet number and function. Such interventions can protect critically ill patients against the development of bleeding, immunodeficiency, multiple organ dysfunction, and ultimately, death. Eptifibatide, a GPIIb/IIIa inhibitor, acts as an anti-thrombotic platelet-preserving agent; it keeps platelets from being consumed into clots and available in the circulation to support the body’s immunologic functions. Iloprost, a stable prostacyclin analogue, is used as a vascular endothelial cell protective agent. By combining a GPIIb/IIIa antagonist with a prostacyclin, it is anticipated that synergistic effects will be obtained. 

Completed clinical safety study, preparing for a clinical proof of concept trial

Thrombologic sponsored a Phase I/II single center, open label, randomized, placebo-controlled study to investigate the safety of administering Iloprost in addition to standard treatment in patients who underwent pPCI due to STEMI in the university hospital in Copenhagen.  The purpose was to evaluate the safety of 24 hour administration of Iloprost (prostacyclin) after PCI in addition to standard treatment, which included the use of Eptifbatide with regard to the development of bleeding.  It further evaluated the effect of Iloprost administration on endothelial activation and necrosis as well as platelet activation and aggregation after pPCI. In this randomized trial a total of 16 patients were enrolled and the primary end-point of safety was met: patients in the active treatment group did not display any evidence of bleeding.  The patients undergoing pPCI displayed evidence of endothelial disruption based on the endothelial specific biomarker, soluble sE-selectin. The level of this specific biomarker was reduced at post 48 hours (p= 0.063) in patients treated with Iloprost and Eptifibatide.  Thus, the activation of the endothelium had been decreased in the active group. Furthermore, neither of the functional hemostatic whole blood assays applied in the present study (TEG and Multiplate) differed between the active and placebo groups confirming that combining doses of prostacyclin with Integrilin® does not adversely influence hemostasis or platelet function.