New Thrombolytic Drug Fails in Delayed Stroke Treatment

Since 1996, intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) has been the only thrombolytic agent approved for treatment of acute ischemic stroke, and it is typically administered to patients who can be treated within 4.5 hours of symptom onset. To explore the boundaries of thrombolysis benefit, researchers have tested whether desmoteplase, an investigational alternate thrombolytic medication with high fibrin specificity, could be useful up to 9 hours after stroke onset.

The investigators randomized to desmoteplase or placebo patients from 77 hospitals in 17 countries who could be treated within 3 to 9 hours after symptom onset. Stroke severity was intended to be broad (National Institutes of Health stroke scale range, 4–24). Patients had to h…