LONDON: AstraZeneca is developing an antibody treatment to rapidly reverse the blood-thinning effects of its heart drug Brilinta in rare emergency situations, such as urgent surgery or in the event of major bleeding.

The drugmaker said on Thursday that the experimental product, MEDI2452, was in pre-clinical tests at its MedImmune biotech unit.

There are currently no approved medicines to counteract the blood-thinning effects of drugs such as Brilinta, which work by blocking the action of platelets in the blood.

Copyright Reuters, 2014