Pharmacological differentiation of GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors

The platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa receptor is an attractive target fo r therapeutic intervention in patients with acute coronary syndromes, since its activation constitutes the final common pathway of platelet aggregatio n. Three antithrombotic drugs in the anti-GP IIb/IIIa class are currently a pproved and a large number of agents are under development. The pharmacolog ical differences among GP IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists may be important in defining their clinical effects. Among the class of GP IIb/IIIa antagonist s approved or under development, the chimeric monoclonal antibody fragment abciximab, c7E3 Fab or, commercially, (ReoPro) stands out because of its po tent and sustained clinical benefits. Unique pharmacological characteristic s of abciximab include binding to important vascular receptor targets in ad dition to GP IIb/IIIa, sustained circulation of the platelet-bound drug fra ction, rapid clearance of the free-plasma drug fraction, and a gradual and tapered recovery of platelet function.