In the United States, tenecteplase costs about $5,800, versus alteplase, which costs $8,000, Arora said.

'One reason is it's cheaper than alteplase.' 'Tenecteplase is being widely used in developing countries, such as India,' he said. Stroke patients who already required daily living assistance are often left out of clinical trials of clot-busting treatment, the researchers said. Food and Drug Administration approved tenecteplase for use after a heart attack, Arora said. Intravenous clot-busting treatment might benefit stroke patients who needed help with daily living before their stroke, a new study suggests. Rohan Arora, director of stroke at Long Island Jewish Hospital in Forest Hills, N.Y. In this study, patients were given the drugs within 4.5 hours after the onset of a stroke, Campbell said.Īlthough tenecteplase appears to be more effective for stroke patients, it's not approved for that use in the United States, according to Dr. 'It is likely to change stroke treatment guidelines and clinical practice.'Ĭampbell said tenecteplase is more effective than alteplase because of differences in the enzymes in each drug.Īlthough both drugs work in the same way, tenecteplase is better at attacking and dissolving clots, and more resistant to factors that inhibit the breakdown of clots, he said.įor either drug to be most effective, it needs to be given as soon as possible after a stroke occurs. Bruce Campbell, head of the stroke department at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Parkville. aka tPA, the clot-busting agent used to treat stroke, increased by 111 from 2005 to 2014 - but Medicare. 'Tenecteplase is likely to become the preferred medication for clot-dissolving in stroke patients,' said lead researcher Dr. Clot-Buster Is Price Buster Too In 10 years, the price of tPA increased by 111. THURSDAY, Ap(HealthDay News) - After a stroke, many patients are given the clot-busting intravenous drug alteplase, but another drug may be more effective, Australian researchers report.Īmong more than 200 stroke victims, TNKase (tenecteplase) was about twice as effective as alteplase in restoring blood flow to the brain, and it also resulted in less disability, the scientists found.

Clot buster