Bristol Myers Squibb has introduced “Change the Target. Change What’s Possible.”, a clinician-focused educational initiative developed in partnership with Johnson & Johnson, aimed at highlighting persistent unmet needs in cardiovascular and thromboembolic care.
The program focuses on patients who remain at high risk of thromboembolic events, including stroke, despite existing treatment options, and underscores the emerging potential of factor XIa (FXIa)research to address these gaps.
Cardiovascular and thromboembolic diseases remain among the leading causes of death and disability, accounting for nearly one million deaths annually in the United States. Significant care gaps persist, with an estimated 40% of patients with atrial fibrillation untreated or undertreated and approximately 25% of strokes being recurrent, many of which are considered preventable. Concerns around bleeding risk associated with current therapies continue to limit optimal protection for many patients.
Advances in thromboembolic disease management have enabled more selective targeting within the coagulation cascade. However, inhibition of coagulation factors in the common pathway can impair normal clotting, creating a trade-off between reducing thrombosis and increasing bleeding risk. The initiative emphasizes the need for new approaches that improve thrombosis prevention while preserving healthy clot formation.
The program highlights factor XIa as a promising new therapeutic target. FXIa plays a role in thrombin generation and clot propagation, and its inhibition may allow separation of harmful clot formation from normal hemostasis. This approach has the potential to reduce thrombotic risk without increasing bleeding, addressing a key limitation of current anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapies.
Through this collaboration, Bristol Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson are combining scientific expertise and commercial capabilities to advance research in FXIa inhibition for the potential treatment of thromboembolic diseases.
The alliance also supports the broader cardiovascular and neurological community through partnerships with patient advocacy organizations focused on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular conditions.
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