Study of Tenecteplase (TNK) in Acute Ischemic Stroke (TNK-S2B)

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States and worldwide. To date, the only scientifically-proven and FDA-approved treatment for acute stroke is the clot-busting drug, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). A newer clot-busting drug, tenecteplase (TNK), has chemical properties that make it a potentially safer and more effective drug for treating stroke. Preliminary testing of TNK in patients with acute stroke has been encouraging enough to warrant further testing. This study, TNK-S2B, will compare three different doses of TNK with standard tPA treatment in patients with acute stroke. Patients will be chosen randomly to receive either TNK or tPA. Neither the patient nor his/her doctor will know which medication the patient received until the study is completely finished. The first part of the study will look at results of treatment in the first 24 hours to select the best dose of TNK to carry forward into a more detailed comparison with standard tPA treatment. After at least 100-150 pairs of the best dose of TNK and tPA patients have been enrolled, entry into the study will pause, and the outcomes at 3 months after stroke will be compared to see if the results of TNK treatment are sufficiently promising as an improvement over standard treatment to justify expanding the study to find a definitive answer. The study, which will be conducted in at least 8 large medical centers, is expected to last about 3 years.