2005 - Desmoteplase - Newspaper Article
Note:Desmoteplase is a drug being tested by Forest Labs
and is a competitor to NTII's drug called Viprinex (Ancrod)
Bat bite might not be so bad
October 31, 2005
BY JIM RITTER Health Reporter
An experimental drug derived from the saliva of vampire bats is showing promise as a new treatment for strokes.
When vampire bats bite cows, horses and other animals, a compound in the saliva prevents coagulation and keeps the blood flowing. This same compound, it's hoped, could dissolve blood clots that are the cause of most strokes.
It appears the drug is effective when taken within nine hours of the onset of the stroke. The current standard treatment, a drug called TPA, must be taken within three hours.
By the time most stroke patients come to the hospital and undergo CT scans and other tests, the three-hour window has passed.
VAMPIRE BAT (DESMODUS ROTUNDUS)
Size: About as large as an adult thumb, with an eight-inch wingspan.
Lifespan: 9 years.
Diet: Blood of horses, cattle and other large mammals -- occasionally humans. Needs about two tablespoons per day.
Feeding technique: Cuts into skin with teeth and laps up blood with grooved tongue. Host animal usually doesn't feel it.
Folklore: Can change shapes from bat to man.
Habitat: Caves, mines and tree hollows in Central and South America.
"Many patients with strokes don't recognize the symptoms and come early to the emergency room,'' said Dr. Jose Biller of Loyola University Health System, which is participating in a clinical trial of the new drug.
Depending on the hospital, between 2 percent and 10 percent of stroke patients get TPA in time. Extending the window to nine hours could mean that 20 percent to 30 percent of patients could get anti-clotting treatment, Biller said.
Loyola one of 50 testing drug
About 90 percent of strokes are ischemic, meaning they are caused by clots that block blood flow. Deprived of oxygen, brain cells die.
The experimental drug, desmoteplase, is a genetically engineered version of a clot-dissolving protein found in the saliva of the vampire bat desmodus rotundus. A preliminary study found desmoteplase improved blood flow in the damaged parts of the brains of stroke patients.
As many as 60 percent of patients who received the drug had improved outcomes.
Loyola is among 50 hospitals in the United States and Canada that will test desmoteplase on 186 ischemic stroke patients. If the study shows desmoteplase is safe and effective, Forest Laboratories will ask the Food and Drug Administration to approve it.
Each year, about 700,000 Americans suffer strokes, and nearly 163,000 die. About 1 of every 15 deaths are from strokes. Only heart disease and cancer kill more people.
Stroke symptoms occur suddenly and include numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side; confusion, trouble speaking or understanding; trouble seeing; trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination and severe headache.
Call 911 immediately if you experience symptoms, the American Stroke Association said. "Time lost is brain lost."
suntimes.com
Note:Got this information from a post on the FRX Yahoo
board.
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