San Antonio, Tex—Scientists have achieved success using neuroprotectant drugs to limit stroke injury in animal models, but transferring these outcomes to humans has been disappointing.
Dozens of clinical trials have failed to show efficacy for a variety of neuroprotectants, but researchers are not giving up. They theorize that the lack of positive results in humans may be due to giving improper dosages, studying too broad a population in clinical trials, and allowing delays in administering the drugs.
At the International Stroke Conference last month, the American Stroke Association (ASA) highlighted two studies that hinted at the positive effects neuroprotectants may have in humans and another study showing how health care workers can speed the delivery of a neuroprotectant to patients.
Steven Warach, MD, section chief, Section on Stroke Diagnostics and Therapeutics, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Md, used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to . . . [Full Text of this Article]
