That was a dead end, but Schering was desperately seeking a thrombin receptor drug.

FORBES: A New Hope For Schering-Plough

Veltri also had been running the development of another Schering-invented drug, the thrombin receptor antagonist vorapaxar.

FORBES: Key Vytorin Exec Has Left Merck

It tested this pine bark-derived molecule to see if it blocked the thrombin receptor and found that it did.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Instead of targeting thrombin directly, SCH 530348 blocks the receptor that thrombin triggers on platelets.

FORBES: Magazine Article