New research published in the American Stroke Associations journal Stroke demonstrated that Tenecteplase, a newer clot-busting medication, works better than the standard ischemic stroke treatment in many crucial ways, including improved health outcomes and cheaper costs.

The trial, which began in September 2019 at 10 Ascension Seton hospitals in Central Texas under the direction of a group of neurologists from Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin, lasted 15 months. The performance of Tenecteplase, which is given intravenously in one dose over five to ten seconds, as compared to Alteplase, the standard gold treatment for stroke that is administered over 60 minutes.

Results showed Tenecteplase patients had better clinical outcomes, as was evident by a 5% rise in patients who could walk on their own when they were discharged from the hospital. Also, a 4% decrease in adverse events such as cerebral hemorrhages, admission to hospice care, and death was reported. Researchers also found that Tenecteplase treatment in hospitals was roughly $2,500 less per patient than Alteplase.

This study demonstrates better care at a lower cost and is an excellent example of value-based care. The Dell Med Neurology Stroke Program aims to spread the results of its study throughout the state and help more stroke centres to adopt Tenecteplase treatment. (News-medical.net, Sep 23 2022)

Newer-generation clot-busting drug outperforms traditional stroke treatment in many areas (news-medical.net)