Charles V. Pollack, MD, is a Philadelphia-based clinician-scientist and consultant who has worked extensively on both research and clinical trials. In addition to leading and assisting drug development programs for numerous pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, Charles V. Pollack, MD, has published his work on more than 500 occasions, including multiple appearances in the New England Journal of Medicine and other significant medical journals.
The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) ranks among the world's leading medical journals and online resources. With a history spanning more than two centuries, NEJM has established a reputation for providing high-quality, peer-reviewed research, as well as interactive clinical content that has benefited the global medical community.
Dr. Pollack contributed to a study published in NEJM that explored platelet inhibition with cangrelor in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Also known as coronary angioplasty, PCI is a minimally invasive, non-surgical procedure that helps care providers restore the normal flow of blood throughout a patient's body by opening up narrowed or blocked coronary arteries. Platelet inhibition, meanwhile, is the process of using medication to reduce the ability of blood platelets to stick together, thereby reducing the risk of blood clot formations. The study determined that cangrelor, a nonthienopyridine adenosine triphosphate analogue, did not perform better than clopidogrel, an antiplatelet medication designed to reduce the risk of serious blood clot formations and related health complications (including heart attacks and strokes) in patients living with heart disease or who have already experienced heart attacks or strokes.
Dr. Pollack also worked on a cangrelor study involving intravenous (IV) platelet blocking during PCI. During intravenous platelet blocking, medical professionals use IV methods to directly administer platelet inhibitors. Researchers wanted to determine whether cangrelor, when administered intravenously, could lower the risk of ischemic events during PCI. Results showed that the use of periprocedural cangrelor had a comparable impact to the placebo, and had no notable influence on the rate of transfusion.
In 2015, Dr. Pollack worked on an indarucizumab study published in NEJM. Idarucizumab is a reversal agent for dabigatran, an anticoagulant medication. The study, which was also shared via the National Institutes of Health, confirmed the reversal agent's ability to rapidly and completely reverse the anticoagulant effect of dabigatran. The drug proved effective in up to 98 percent of cases, typically within minutes of administration. Two years later, he returned to NEJM to publish further results on idarucizumab as a dabigatran reversal agent.
More recently, Dr. Pollack co-authored a study about antibody-based ticagrelor as a reversal agent. Patients living with acute coronary syndromes or who have experienced myocardial infarction can use ticagrelor in conjunction with aspirin as a method to reduce the likelihood of ischemic events. The study determined that, in healthy volunteers, the reversal agent PB2452 provides immediate and long-term relief from ticagrelor's antiplatelet effects.
Dr. Pollack has contributed several additional letters and replies that have appeared in NEJM, along with publications in peer-reviewed publications such as the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine. In addition to his history of publication with the journal, Dr. Pollack spent three years as a member of the editorial board for Weekly Briefings from the New England Journal of Medicine. More information about the journal is available online at nejm.org.
