PlGF Inhibitors
5 drugsAbout PlGF
Placental growth factor (PlGF) is a protein involved in angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels. It is a key target for researchers due to its role in diseases driven by angiogenesis.
Genetic evidence offers moderate support for PlGF as a therapeutic target, with associations to acute pancreatitis (score 0.51), coronary artery disease, and skin aging. Strong eQTL/pQTL signals further support its role in disease.
PlGF is targeted by 5 FDA-approved drugs, including EYLEA, EYDENZELT, PAVBLU, ZALTRAP, and EYLEA HD, primarily fusion proteins and other biologics. These drugs span metabolic, oncology, and other therapeutic areas.
PlGF Genetic Evidence Moderate
Genetic evidence provides moderate support for PlGF, with a maximum score of 0.51 for acute pancreatitis.
Further research into the genetic associations of PlGF could reveal novel therapeutic opportunities.
Evidence Across Diseases
3 totalGWAS and other genetic studies link PGF to 3 diseases.
🔗 Colocalization Evidence 20 strong
max H4: 1.00eQTL/pQTL signals for PGF colocalize with these GWAS traits, providing causal evidence that gene expression changes drive disease risk.
Understanding these scores
Association Score (0-1): Combines all evidence types (genetic, literature, drugs, animal models). Higher = more evidence linking target to disease. This is a ranking heuristic, not a confidence score.
L2G Score: Open Targets uses a machine learning model (Locus-to-Gene) to predict which gene is causal at each GWAS locus. L2G=0.5 means ~50% probability of being the causal gene. Only associations with L2G > 0.05 are included.
Odds Ratio (OR): From gene burden studies (UK Biobank, AstraZeneca PheWAS). Measures how loss-of-function variants affect disease risk. OR<1 = protective (inhibiting target may help), OR>1 = risk (losing function causes disease).
Beta (β): Effect size for continuous traits. β<0 = protective, β>0 = risk.
Clinical Translation (~1.8x): Based on Nelson et al. 2015: drug targets with genetic evidence have ~2x higher success rates in clinical trials. We estimate: Strong support (score ≥0.7) → ~1.8x, Moderate (0.3-0.7) → ~1.3x, Weak → baseline.
Colocalization (H4): Tests whether a GWAS signal and an eQTL/pQTL signal share the same causal variant. H4 is the posterior probability that both traits are associated AND share a causal variant. H4 > 0.8 = strong evidence that gene expression/protein levels drive disease risk. This links genetic variation → gene expression → disease, supporting the target-disease connection.
Top PlGF Drugs
Four companies have approved drugs targeting PlGF, with Regeneron holding multiple approvals.
The presence of multiple players suggests a moderately competitive landscape with potential for new entrants.
PlGF Drug Modality Landscape
Modalities
Routes of Administration
PlGF requires biologic approaches (fusion protein), likely due to its structure or location.
Exploring small molecule or antibody approaches could offer a competitive advantage in the PlGF space.
📈 Modality Evolution
Fusion proteins pioneered PlGF targeting (2011), with other biologics entering more recently (2024).
PlGF Clinical Trials 325 trials
Phase 1-4 trials started in 2008 or later that test an FDA-approved drug acting on PlGF. Source: ClinicalTrials.gov. How we count
Completion by Phase
| Phase | Total | Completed | Stopped | Active | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 44 | 29 | 8 | 6 | 78% |
| Phase 2 | 101 | 62 | 22 | 17 | 74% |
| Phase 3 | 104 | 60 | 13 | 31 | 82% |
| Phase 4 | 76 | 59 | 9 | 8 | 87% |
Top Sponsors
By Modality
Top Conditions
Top Drugs
Phase 3 Readout Calendar Pro
6 Phase 3 trials testing approved PlGF drugs across all sponsors.
Coverage: trials whose intervention is an approved drug targeting PlGF. Pre-approval candidates with development codes (e.g. AZD0901, MK-7240) are not yet linked. Anchored on CT.gov primary completion date.
PlGF Drug Approval Timeline (2011 - 2025)
The first PlGF-targeting drug was approved in 2011, with the most recent approval in 2025.
The continued approvals indicate sustained interest and potential for further development in this area.
Pro Intelligence Preview
Deep insights for drug target analysis
Competitive Landscape
- • 4 companies competing
- • Market share by company
Full Drug Portfolio
- • All 5 approved drugs
- • Approval dates & indications
Genetic Validation
- • Full genetic evidence table
- • Effect sizes & directions
Approval Timeline
- • Full 5-drug timeline
- • First-of-modality markers
Clinical Trials Analysis
- • Sponsors: 173 (60 companies)
- • Completion rates by condition
Full summary • All drugs • Genetic evidence • Trials • Timeline
How We Count Trials
- Trials: phase 1-4 interventional trials on ClinicalTrials.gov that started in 2008 or later and test an FDA-approved drug acting on PlGF. A trial counts if an approved drug acting on PlGF is in any arm, including as a comparator, and a trial that tests two such drugs counts once. Trials that test only unapproved drugs are not counted. A trial listed as phase 1/2 counts as phase 1, and phase 2/3 as phase 2.
- Active: recruiting, not yet recruiting, enrolling by invitation, or active and no longer recruiting.
- Completion rate: of the trials that have ended, the share marked Completed rather than Terminated or Withdrawn. Completed means the trial ended as planned; it does not mean the drug worked. Suspended trials are not counted as ended.
- Stopped: terminated or withdrawn. Trials stop for many reasons, including slow enrolment and business decisions, not only safety or efficacy.
- Sponsors: the lead sponsor of each trial. Companies are the sponsors ClinicalTrials.gov classes as industry; the rest are universities, hospitals, cooperative groups, government bodies and individuals.