Review compares clot-busting drugs for stroke patients

An off-label clot-busting drug appears to work slightly better in treating stroke patients than an approved medication, a new review finds.

The clot-buster tenecteplase is associated with a slightly higher likelihood of excellent recovery and reduced disability three months following a stroke, compared to the drug alteplase , researchers report.

However, the likelihood of good recovery is similar between the two treatments, researchers noted.

For the study, researchers focused on strokes caused by a blood clot that blocks blood flow to the brain. These are called ischemic strokes, and they are the most common type of stroke.

Alteplase is the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for ischemic strokes, researchers noted.

Tenecteplase is a newer drug that's been approved in Europe but not in the United States for treating ischemic strokes.

However, tenecteplase is approved in the United States to treat clots contributing to heart attacks, and some hospitals use it to treat ischemic stroke, researchers said.

"Our meta-analysis shows that while both drugs have similar safety and increase the chances of good recovery after stroke, tenecteplase is superior to alteplase with a greater chance of excellent recovery and reduced disability," said researcher Dr. Georgios Tsivgoulis , chair of neurology with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in Greece.

The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Neurology.

"Our findings support using tenecteplase over alteplase when treating people for ischemic stroke," Tsivgoulis added in a journal news release.

For the analysis, researchers analyzed data from 11 studies involving 3,788 people treated with tenecteplase and 3,757 people treated with alteplase.

People given tenecteplase had a 5% higher likelihood of excellent recovery than people given alteplase, results show.

Tenecteplase stroke patients also had a 10% greater chance of reduced disability three months following a stroke, researchers added.

"While treatment with either drug increases the chances of a good recovery after stroke, we found people who were given tenecteplase were more likely to have an excellent recovery," Tsivgoulis said.

More information

The Cleveland Clinic has more on clot-busting drugs .

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