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Posted on Jun 22, 2008, 8 p.m.
By Jeanelle Topping
The leukemia drug imatinib could increase the safety of tPA, the most effective treatment for stroke patients, when the two are used together, research suggests.
The leukemia drug imatinib could increase the safety of tPA, the most effective treatment for stroke patients, when the two are used together, research suggests.
Studies in mice have shown imatinib reduces the risk of tPA-associated bleeding considerably, meaning tPA could be used to treat stroke patients for much longer than the current limit of three hours after the onset of symptoms.
Of the 15 million strokes that happen every year 80 per cent are caused by blood clots in the brain that tPA can dissolve, but the drug can only be used on under three per cent of patients as they usually miss the short safety window of three hours before being treated.
However, this finding could increase the time window, a development which Professor Ulf Eriksson, leader of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research study, thinks "has indeed the potential to revolutionize the treatment of stroke".
According to the National Stroke Association, stroke is the third leading cause of death in the US, yet 80 per cent of cases are preventable.
