A reversal for fortunes

Portola Pharmaceuticals Inc. believes its reversible adenosine diphosphate receptor antagonist has an edge over Plavix and others in its class that are close to market. Now a license deal with Novartis AG will give the biotech an opportunity to prove its case, while freeing up resources to pursue the rest of its pipeline.

Plavix clopidogrel from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and sanofi-aventis Group is the only marketed ADP receptor (P2Y12) antagonist and is the standard of care for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). But Portola thinks the ability of its elinogrel to be metabolized quickly and reverse its anti-coagulant effects within 24 hours gives it an advantage over Plavix and other similar compounds in the pipeline...