Vampire bat thrombolytic study findings disappoint

Despite encouraging earlier results, the much-awaited follow-up phase III DIAS-2 trial on ischemic stroke patients treated with desmoteplase after the onset of symptoms did not show any improvement in clinical response at 90 days.

In previous investigational trials, the new drug, which is derived from vampire bat saliva, was shown to have a highly specific action and to be safe and effective over a longer treatment window than tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). Dr. Werner Hacke and colleagues at the University of Heidelberg in Germany assessed patients with acute stroke who were randomized within three hours of symptom onset to receive desmoteplase or placebo. There were no statistically significant differences in response rates between low/high dose of desmoteplase or placebo (47%/36% versus 46%).

Findings appeared in the February issue of The Lancet Neurology.