A study from the University of Cincinnati (UC) shows that the combination of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) with the antiplatelet drug eptifibatide dissolves blood clots safely and faster than tPA alone, according to the Women's and Girls' Online Edition of 14. net The results of the study, known as the CLEAR-ER Stroke Trial, are published in the Journal of the American Heart Association..

The University of Cincinnati was the coordinating center for the trial, which involved nine medical centers (approximately 21 hospitals).

The standard treatment for acute ischemic stroke (characterized by the presence of obstructions to blood flow, typically clots) is intravenous tPA within three hours of the stroke. CLEAR-ER (Combined lysis approach using eptifibatide and recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (RT-PA) in acute ischemic stroke - boosted regimen) is a Phase II clinical trial designed to determine the safety of an extended dosing regimen of eptifibatide..

Based on it, the third phase of clinical trials will be carried out, where a wider range of patients will be used.. As an antiplatelet drug, intravenous eptifibatide works in conjunction with tPA to break up existing clots and prevent their formation by reducing platelet aggregation..

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Adeyet co-authored the study with Arthur Pancioli, MD, Richard S.. Levy (Richard C. Levy from the Department of Emergency Medicine at UC. Both of them are members of the UC Institute of Neurology.

“We know that the combination of these two drugs dissolves clots faster and more completely than tPA alone.. The goal is to determine if we can use this combination to improve acute stroke recovery outcomes,” says Pancioli..

From July 2009 to October 2012, the study followed 126 patients. Of these, 101 received tPA plus eptifibatide and 25 received tPA alone.. It was a double-blind, randomized study.; neither clinicians nor patients knew if a drug or placebo was being administered in addition to tPA. Researchers examined safety issues at specific endpoints by observing intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) events and 90-day outcomes using standardized measurement methods..

Of those given tPA plus eptifibatide, 50 patients (49.5%) had good outcomes.. Of those who received only tPA, only 9 people showed good results (36%).

The safety of the two groups was at a comparable level after 36 hours, 7 days and 90 days from the start of the trial..

The next step in clinical trials will be to expand the number of participants. The third phase is the last stage before bringing drugs to market.. It is designed to validate its effectiveness, monitor for side effects, compare it with other commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug to be used safely..

medbe. en.