News - Hypertension Week of April 6, 2003/ Vol. 2 No. 14

New Guidelines: Clot-Busting tPA Still Most Effective Stroke Therapy

Despite promising new drugs, the clot-busting drug known as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is still the most effective early treatment for ischemic stroke, according to new guidelines issued April 3 by the American Stroke Association.

The updated guidelines are a revision of association statements and supplements written in 1994 and 1996.

Giving tPA within three hours of stroke onset is the only U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment for ischemic stroke. The drug has been shown to reduce the effects of stroke and the chance of permanent disability.

Dr. Harold P. Adams, Jr., a professor at the University of Iowa College of Medicine who chaired the panel that wrote the guidelines, said one of the key messages in the new guidelines is the importance of early treatment of stroke.

Although the advances in other clot busting drugs and techniques have been considerable, Adams said much additional work needs to be done.

"In this statement, we re-emphasize the potential use of tPA within three hours of ischemic stroke onset," Adams added.

The new guidelines note no other clot-busting agent has been established to date as a safe and effective alternative to tPA.

Other sources: American Heart Association