Cadrenal Therapeutics Enhances Anticoagulation Pipeline Through Acquisition of eXIthera’s Portfolio

Cadrenal Therapeutics, Inc. recently announced the acquisition of the assets of eXIthera Pharmaceuticals, including its proprietary portfolio of investigational intravenous (IV) and oral Factor XIa inhibitors. The acquisition significantly enhances Cadrenal’s pipeline, adding drug candidates that address large and underserved segments of the current $38 billion global anticoagulation market.

eXIthera’s lead asset, frunexian, is a first-in-class, Phase 2-ready intravenous (IV) Factor XIa inhibitor designed for acute care settings where contact activation of coagulation by medical devices plays a significant role, such as cardiopulmonary bypass, catheter thrombosis, and other blood-contacting implanted cardiac devices. The acquisition also includes EP-7327, an oral Factor XIa inhibitor, for the prevention and treatment of major thrombotic conditions.

“With this acquisition, Cadrenal is the only company in the world developing a novel vitamin K antagonist (tecarfarin) and Factor XIa inhibitors, a promising new class of anticoagulants,” said Quang X. Pham, Chairman and CEO of Cadrenal Therapeutics. “These newly acquired assets will expand Cadrenal’s capabilities in an effort to address even more critical gaps in current antithrombotic treatment, especially for patients for whom current therapies are unreliable or carry excessive bleeding risk.”

Unlike current anticoagulants on the market, which increase the risk of bleeding by broadly impairing coagulation, eXIthera’s compounds are mechanism-based inhibitors of Factor XIa, offering high potency, selectivity, and tunable pharmacokinetics. Factor XIa inhibition is one of the most active and exciting areas of current thrombosis research.

“This acquisition reinforces Cadrenal’s long-term vision of becoming a category leader in anticoagulation,” added Pham. “With tecarfarin planning a trial in patients with end-stage kidney disease transitioning to dialysis, our plans for LVAD patients, and the current addition of frunexian and EP-7327, we believe that Cadrenal is strategically positioned to deliver differentiated therapeutics across the entire spectrum of patients with cardiovascular thrombotic risk.”

Assets Acquired

• Frunexian: Phase 2-ready IV Factor XIa agent for acute anticoagulation
• EP-7327: IND-ready oral small molecule candidate for chronic indications
• Extensive portfolio of additional novel FXIa small molecules

Under a pre-existing license agreement, Sichuan Haisco Pharmaceuticals retains rights to frunexian in China, having completed a successful Phase 1 trial there. Under the terms of the license, Cadrenal will be entitled to receive royalties on future sales of frunexian in China.

Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, eXIthera will receive milestone payments from Cadrenal totaling up to $15 million, contingent upon the realization of certain future clinical and regulatory milestones. Additionally, eXIthera will be entitled to royalties on global sales of the acquired assets upon future commercialization. The structure and terms of the agreement enable Cadrenal to focus capital deployment on advancing the clinical development of tecarfarin and the acquired assets.

Cadrenal Therapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company developing transformative therapeutics to overcome the gaps in anticoagulation therapy. Cadrenal’s lead investigational product is tecarfarin, a novel oral Vitamin K antagonist anticoagulant that is designed to address unmet needs in anticoagulation therapy. Tecarfarin is a reversible anticoagulant (blood thinner) designed to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and deaths due to blood clots in patients requiring chronic anticoagulation. Although warfarin is widely used, extensive clinical and real-world data have shown it can have significant, serious side effects. With tecarfarin, Cadrenal aims to reduce the clinical complexities of managing Vitamin K antagonists, particularly where direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) remain inadequate or unproven.

Tecarfarin received Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) and fast-track designation for the prevention of systemic thromboembolism (blood clots) of cardiac origin in patients with end-stage kidney disease and atrial fibrillation (ESKD+AFib). The Company also received ODD for the prevention of thromboembolism and thrombosis in patients with implanted mechanical circulatory support devices, including Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs). For more information, visit https://www.cadrenal.com/.