A Roanoke, Va. woman is the first U. S. participant in an international, multi center trial of a new drug that shows promise in treating complications from a stroke.
The drug, clazosentan, is given in a continuous IV drip and was developed to treat patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (bleeding between the membrane covering of the brain and the brain itself) caused by a burst aneurysm, which comprises six to eight percent of all strokes in the U.S. and are the most fatal.
It’s hoped that the drug can prevent cerebral vasospasm, a potentially deadly complication of stroke characterized by an unexplained narrowing of the brain’s arteries. Neurosurgeons call vasospasm the ‘black beast’ since it can kill or disable patients who were on the road to recovery after stroke surgery.
“Based on pre-clinical data in experimental models of subarachnoid hemorrhage and based on preliminary trials in Germany, we’re hopeful that this drug will be a major step to prevent vasospasm,” said Dr. Neal Kassell, professor of neurosurgery at the University of Virginia Health System and chairman of the Steering Committee in the trial of clazosentan. “It is the most encouraging drug we’ve seen to date.” The drug is manufactured by the Swiss company, Actelion Ltd., which is enrolling 400 patients in 65 medical centers worldwide. Study results are expected in the first half of 2006.