Drug-drug interaction of the anti-TFPI aptamer BAX499 and factor VIII: Studies of spatial dynamics of fibrin clot formation in hemophilia A

Abstract Background In recent years, a number of tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) antagonists have been developed to serve as bypassing agents to improve hemostasis in hemophilia A. Since TFPI antagonists and FVIII concentrates are procoagulants, their combined effect on spatial clot formation could be potentially pro-thrombotic. Objective To investigate the cooperative effect of TFPI inhibition and supplementation of FVIII in hemophilia A in a spatial, reaction-diffusion experiment in vitro. Methods Plasma was collected at different time points from hemophilia A patients undergoing prophylaxis and was supplemented in vitro with TFPI inhibitor BAX499 (formerly ARC19499) at concentrations from 0 up to 600 nM. Clotting propagation in recalcified plasma activated by a surface with immobilized tissue factor (TF) was monitored by videomicroscopy. Results Increasing concentration of BAX499 improved coagulation for all hemophilia A plasma samples activated with TF at 1.6 pmole/m2 by shortening lag time and increasing initial clot growth velocity and clot size. In contrast, plasma concentration of FVIII had little effect on lag time, but increased spatial clot growth velocity. There was a decrease in the BAX499 efficiency as FVIII concentration increased (lag time shortened by 50% if FVIII:C < 5%, but the effect was only 25% if FVIII:C > 30%). Conclusions The results indicate that BAX499 has an effect on clotting in hemophilia A plasma at low FVIII concentrations, however has little effect at high FVIII concentrations.