In the largest stroke clinical trial ever run in Canada, researchers have shown Tenecteplase (TNK), a safe, well tolerated drug, commonly used as a clot buster for heart attacks, is an effective treatment for acute ischemic stroke, a stroke caused by blood clots in the brain.
The results, from a team of researchers that included the University of Ottawa and The Ottawa Hospital, are published in The Lancet. They show that TNK worked as well as, if not better than, the current recommended drug, Alteplase (tPA). TNK attaches itself to the clot in the brain for a longer period of time than tPA which means that blood flow is restored faster and for a longer period of time. It is also very easy to administer, making it a game-changer when seconds count to save brain cells.
Based on current guidelines, Alteplase (tPA) is the recommended drug for acute ischemic stroke patients. The challenge is that the drug is more complex to administer. It takes up to an hour and requires an infusion pump that needs to be monitored. The pump can be cumbersome when transporting a patient within a hospital, or to a major stroke center for treatment.
One of the reasons Tenecteplase is so effective is that it can be administered as a single immediate dose. This is a big advantage, saving critical time and complications. TNK could potentially be administered wherever the patient is seen first, at a medical centre or small hospital.
Along with discovering a better way to treat acute ischemic stroke, the team also established a more cost effective and efficient way to conduct clinical trials.
The trial was led by researchers with the University of Calgary at the Foothills Medical Centre and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, fully affiliated with the University of Toronto. Drs. Dar Dowlatshahi and Michel Shamy of The Ottawa Hospital and uOttawa’s Faculty of Medicine sat on the trial’s steering committee and were the site leads at The Ottawa Hospital.
“This study will change the way we treat acute stroke,” said Dr. Dowlatshahi, neurologist and senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute. “With TNK, we can be faster, safer and more effective, thereby increasing the chance that our patients will recover their independence after stroke.”
See the full media release from the University of Calgary for further details.
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