Small Steps Forward in Treating Ischemic Stroke

Stroke remains a devastating disease that isn't adequately addressed, but the pharmaceutical industry remains wary of the field, having been stung in the past by extremely expensive clinical disappointments. Nevertheless, the opportunity is too enticing for the industry to ignore completely. Two pharma-sponsored major clinical trials are underway for treatment of acute ischemic stroke, foro example. The emerging companies with stroke therapies profiled here, however, are cautiously pushing forward on several fronts, of which the stroke market may or not be the first and foremost application of core technology.

The FDA's recent approval of Concentric Medical Inc. 's device for retrieving clots in some ischemic stroke victims is good news for a field that offers few treatment options. (See "Concentric's Clearance Not Likely to Spur Stroke Investment," START-UP, September 2004 Also see "Concentric's Clearance Not Likely to Spur Stroke Investment" - Medtech Insight, 1 September, 2004..)

Until Concentric's Merci Retrieval device, the only FDA-approved method of breaking up brain clots had been administration of Genentech Inc. 's tissue plasminogen activator (Activase, better known as tPA)....

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