Eptifibatide

Eptifibatide is a synthetic homodetic cyclic peptide composed of N(alpha)-(3-sulfanylpropanoyl)homoarginyl, glycyl, aspartyl, tryptophyl, prolyl, and cysteinamide residues connected in sequence and cyclized via a disulfide bond. Derived from a protein in the venom of the southeastern pygmy rattlesnake, Sistrurus miliarus barbouri, it is an anti-coagulant that inhibits platelet aggregation by selectively blocking the platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor, preventing the binding of fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor, and other adhesive ligands. It is used in the management of unstable angina and in patients undergoing coronary angioplasty and stenting. It functions as a platelet aggregation inhibitor and anticoagulant, and is classified as an organic disulfide, a macrocycle, and a homodetic cyclic peptide.