Special Episode: FDA Approves Tenecteplase for Acute Ischemic Stroke

Welcome to this special episode of the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice. For major FDA decisions in the field of neurology, we release short special episodes to offer a snapshot of the news, including the main takeaways for the clinical community, as well as highlights of the efficacy and safety profile of the agent in question.

In this episode, we cover the recent approval of Genentech's tenecteplase, marketed as TNKase, as a new treatment for adults with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). The thrombolytic medicine is an intravenous tissue plasminogen activator that is clot-dissolving, administered as a single 5-second intravenous bolus. Tenecteplase is only the second such approval for this indication, following the 2015 approval of alteplase (Activase; Genentech); however, tenecteplase is considered faster and more simply administered than alteplase. To better understand the implications of this approval, NeurologyLive sat down with stroke expert Bijoy Menon, MD, MSc, FRCPC, a professor of neurology at the University of Calgary. In the interview, Menon talked about the downstream impacts of having another approved therapy, how tenecteplase differs from other thrombolytic agents, and the efficacy and safety that supported its approval. Furthermore, he provided commentary on how the approval continues to chip away toward the idea of precision medicine and personalizing treatments for patients with AIS. 

For more of NeurologyLive's coverage of sodium oxybate's (Lumryz) expanded indication, head here: FDA Approves Tenecteplase for Acute Ischemic Stroke

Episode Breakdown:

• 1:40 – Immediate reaction and significance of tenecteplase approval
• 5:30 – Safety considerations and administration when prescribing tenecteplase
• 10:20 – Supportive efficacy and safety, phase 3 AcT trial, and other supplementary studies
• 14:50 – Advancing precision medicine, treatment personalization with new approval

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