Medical Breakthrough: New drug being tested to help treat strokes
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Diagnosing a stroke can be difficult for doctors.
There are actually two different types of strokes, and now there's a drug on the market designed to treat one of the stroke types. The same company is testing another drug for the second type.
It's a race against the clock to save brain cells and save lives.
Neurologist Joseph Broderick has been running that race for almost 40 years.
"I arrived at University of Cincinnati in 1987, and we treated the first patient with TPA in the world in 1987," Broderick said.
TPA has been very successful at stopping damage in Ischemic strokes and now, Dr. Broderick is working on a way to stop brain bleeds after a stroke.
"But there's a good number of them. They're going to continue to grow. So, if we can stop the growth in its tracks, we can have an opportunity to improve the outcome," Broderick said.
Broderick is leading a global study on a drug that has been used for decades to help hemophiliac's blood to clot. Recombinant Factor 7A, helps stop bleeding in the brain.
"We looked at people who were within the very early time windows within the first couple hours after onset, that's when the drug seemed to have its greatest benefit," Broderick said.
One way they are getting to patients faster is a mobile stroke unit where brain images can be taken on the spot and the drug given en route to the hospital.
"We wanted to make sure we could treat people within two hours," Broderick said.
Broderick said due to the time limitations, the trial will also engage in a practice known as "exception from informed consent."
That means the FDA has given permission to give treatment quickly, even without consent of the patient or family member.
The trial will enroll more than 800 patients in 100 cities across the U.S., Japan, Canada and Europe.
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