Medical Minute: TNK for Stroke Treatment
After years of research and clinical trials, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved TNK (tenecteplase) to help treat ischemic strokes in adults.
While this drug is newly approved, OhioHealth has been ahead of the game with clinical trials, research and administering TNK for patients who are having an ischemic stroke.
Nirav Vora, MD, OhioHealth medical director of Cerebrovascular explains that in an ischemic stroke, “the arteries to the brain are blocked, and because the brain can’t survive without blood supply or oxygen, the function of that brain tissue that isn’t getting blood supply starts to die or malfunction. That’s function that you can lose permanently.”
In the past, TPA was widely accepted and used to treat ischemic strokes. While TPA and TNK are very similar, there are small differences that make TNK more effective for patients. “The small tweaks in TNK makes it a much more specific medicine for the clot, makes it resistant to breakdown within the body and therefore more effective,” Dr. Vora said.
Earlier in the decade, there were studies published that indicated TNK is more successful and safer than TPA. Dr. Vora and his team decided early on that TNK was the best decision to make for his patients due to the groundbreaking data and research.
“Studying that data as a team across the OhioHealth system, we decided that it’s time to make that change and adopt TNK, even before it was FDA approved because that was giving the best opportunity for our patients,” Dr. Vora said.
OhioHealth has been leading the way for clinical trials and research to provide patients with the most effective care. These results are important for medical professionals to make informed decisions about different treatment options, such as TNK.
As stroke care continues to evolve, it is crucial to stay ahead of new treatment options to offer better outcomes for patients.
“Clinical research is the innovation of stroke care. We want to provide the best state of the arch stroke care available for all our patients that we serve here in central Ohio and beyond. That’s why we try to stay abreast of what’s next,” Dr. Vora said.
For more information on stroke care at OhioHealth, visit Stroke Care | OhioHealth.
