MedicalResearch.com Interview with: A/Prof Bruce Campbell MBBS(Hons), BMedSc, PhD, FRACP Consultant Neurologist, Head of Stroke Department of Neurology, Royal Melbourne Hospital Principal Research Fellow,Melbourne Brain Centre @ RMH Department of Medicine University of Melbourne Australia  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?  Response: Patients with stroke due to a large blood vessel in the brain receive a clot-dissolving medication followed by clot retrieval surgery performed via an angiogram. The standard clot dissolving medication "alteplase" rarely opens the artery prior to clot retrieval surgery. Tenecteplase is genetically modified form of alteplase that may be more effective and is widely available (it is the standard clot dissolving medication used for heart attacks). It can be given over 10 seconds instead of the 1 hour required to infuse alteplase, meaning that patients can be transferred between hospitals to receive treatment more easily. Tenecteplase is also less expensive than alteplase. In EXTEND-IA TNK we found that tenecteplase doubles the number of patients who have blood flow restored to the brain earlier than is possible with clot retrieval surgery (22% vs 10%) and improves patient outcomes compared to the current standard medication called alteplase. 1 in 5 tenecteplase treated patients have blood flow rapidly restored and do not require clot retrieval surgery compared to 1 in 10 with alteplase. (more…)