database > company
Portola Pharmaceuticals
Biotech Specialty Pharma
270 E. Grand Avenue, Suite 22
South San Franciso, CA 94080 USA
phone:(650) 246-7300
fax:(650) 246-7376
Symbol Private
Founded 2003
Employees
www.portola.com
Research Sector Biotech Specialty Pharma
Summary Description
Anticoagulant and Antiplatelet Medications to Avert Thrombosis
Management
Charles Homcy, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer; David R. Phillips, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Biology; Mardi Dier, Chief Financial Officer; Dan Gretler, M.D., Vice President, Regulatory and Clinical Development; Stanley Hollenback, J.D., Vice President, Pharmacology; Joseph Lambing, Ph.D., Vice President, Pharmaceutical Development; William Lis, Vice President, Business & Commercial Operations; Anjali Pandey, Ph.D., Vice President, Chemistry
Keywords
chronic cardiovascular disease, betrixaban, PRT060128, Factor Xa inhibitor, ADP receptor, elinogrel, atrial fibrillation, antithrombotic, thrombosis



Comment | Printable Version | Modify profile |
Updated: Apr. 05, 2011

Description
Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. specializes in developing therapeutics for the treatment and prevention of severe cardiovascular diseases. The company's earlier-stage programs are focused on the discovery and development of novel and specific Syk and JAK inhibitors to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases, as well as on the development of novel anticoagulant antidotes.
Products / Services
Portola's portfolio includes two lead Phase II compounds designed to prevent thrombosis; betrixaban is an oral Factor Xa inhibitor anticoagulant and elinogrel (PRT060128) is an antagonist to the P2Y12 ADP receptor found on platelets. The company's robust preclinical pipeline includes: a FXa inhibitor antidote in development to address potential bleeding issues from use of a FXa inhibitor, a Syk and JAK inhibitor program focused on compounds to treat rheumatoid arthritis and certain cancers and an aspirin replacement therapy for aspirin intolerant patients.
Technology / Differentiation
Betrixaban is an oral anticoagulant that directly inhibits Factor Xa, a validated target in the blood coagulation pathway. Elinogrel is the only direct acting and reversible P2Y12 ADP receptor antagonist in clinical development. Inhibiting the P2Y12 ADP receptor on platelets has been proven to prevent thrombosis and subsequent heart attacks while lowering the risk of ischemic events due to clot formation and reducing the risk of bleeding (as compared to treatment with Plavix and prasugrel). In addition, elinogrel is the only compound in development that can be administered intravenously in the hospital and orally in the chronic care setting.
Market / Customers
Portola's product candidates address needs in the hospital, specialty, and chronic care markets and are indicated for use in various acute and chronic cardiovascular diseases, which account for 57 percent of all deaths in the U.S. The company endeavors to address the significant limitations of existing therapies in the worldwide antithrombotic market, expected to reach $30 billion by 2020. Additionally, Portola's anticoagulant antidote program can potentially manage the over 20 million patients expected to be treated with anticoagulants worldwide in the next decade. The worldwide market for anticoagulants is approximately $5 billion, the majority of which comes from the sale of injectable products. The only oral anticoagulant, warfarin, has significant limitations resulting in the need for frequent monitoring to ensure that the patient is adequately anticoagulated.
Status
Portola announced that it entered a worldwide license agreement with Novartis for the development and commercialization of elinogrel in February 2009. The company expects to receive a $75 million upfront cash payment and $500 million in potential milestone payments (plus royalties on future sales). In December 2008, the company initiated enrollment in a large Phase II clinical trial of elinogrel (INNOVATE-PCI) in patients undergoing non-urgent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).


2013-05-22-704