Trial finds drug reteplase may be another option for stroke thrombolysis

The University of Cincinnati's Pooja Khatri commented to TCTMD on the RAISE trial that found drug reteplase may be a safe and effective option to treat acute ischemic stroke.

Like drugs tenecteplase and alteplase, reteplase is a clot-busting medication that was administered to patients within 4.5 hours of stroke onset during the trial. The drug was found to lead to a higher rate of excellent functional outcome compared with standard alteplase with no significant increase in symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, other bleeding outcomes or death.

The trial “raises the possibility of another intravenous thrombolytic drug that we could use to treat acute stroke patients,” said Khatri, MD, professor, vice chair of research and division chief in the Department of Neurology & Rehabilitation Medicine at UC's College of Medicine and associate director of the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute, noting that this is the first phase III trial to address the topic.

“It opens some doors, but we need more data to know if this is going to have a role in our armamentarium as part of our standard of care in the long run,” Khatri added.

Read the TCT MD article.

Featured photo at top of illustration of brain with stroke symptoms. Photo/PeterSchreiber.media/iStock.