Cardiovascular & Renal: Meeting Highlights—Clinical Trials in Non-Haemorrhagic Stroke A Summary of Presentations at the 20th International Joint Conference on Stroke and Cerebral Circulation 9–10 February, 1995, Charleston, USA

Abstract

Despite considerable Research and Development effort, effective therapy for the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke has not been developed. There remains a major need for drugs of proven utility in the therapy of non-haemorrhagic stroke. In the USA alone, approximately 400,000 individuals suffer an ischaemic stroke every year and the annual economic burden has been estimated to be US$ twenty billion [1]. Pharmacological interventions, which continue to be investigated, include thrombolytic therapy, platelet aggregation inhibition, anti-thrombotics and neuronal protectants. Consensus does not, however, exist concerning the clinical usefulness of any of these alternatives [1]. A number of clinical trials are presently being performed either to clarify the potential of existing agents or to investigate the utility of more novel therapeutic agents. An update on many of these trials was presented at the 20th International Joint Conference on Stroke and Cerebral Circulation, which took place at Charleston, South Carolina, USA in February of this year.