New drug could offer stroke survivors better outcomes

A new cheaper, safer and easy to administer drug treatment for ischaemic stroke patients has passed first clinical tests with promising results, scientists said.
The new treatment, Tenecteplase, is said to have similar outcomes in limiting the damage done in the brain after a stroke compared with current treatments, it is also far easier to administer and may also be safer, they said.
The results for the new drug treatment were published today in the journal 'Lancet Neurology'.
Crucially however, it is also far easier to administer and may also be safer.
Ischaemic strokes are caused by a blood clot blocking a blood vessel in the brain, and are treated by injecting 'clot-busting' drugs that dissolve the blood clot, restoring blood flow.

There is a four and a half hour window after an ischaemic stroke in which giving clot-busting drug treatment is effective in limiting damage and improving outcome.

Currently, only one drug - Alteplase - is used for acute treatment of stroke.
The study, led by Professor Keith Muir, SINAPSE Chair of Clinical Imaging and Consultant Neurologist at the University of Glasgow, compared Alteplase with a newer clot-busting drug called Tenecteplase.
The study, funded by the Stroke Association, showed that incidences of serious adverse events did not differ between the two groups and all neurological and radiological outcomes were similar, despite there being slightly more very severe strokes in the Tenecteplase group.

The results also showed that potentially fewer people had a brain haemorrhage as a complication of treatment with Tenecteplase.
Researchers believe that, as Tenecteplase can be given more easily than Alteplase, it could become a less expensive and easier to administer treatment for ischaemic stroke patients.
However, a larger clinical trial will be needed in the lab to test Tenecteplase fully, and plans for such a trial are at an advanced stage.
Professor Muir said: "Every minute is crucial in treating stroke and we need better treatment options. Any treatment that is easier to deliver and potentially safer could mean the difference between a good recovery and someone suffering serious debilitating long term effects.