Prof. Lawrence Wong: Discovering New Therapeutic Solution for Minor Stroke in Global Study with over 30 Countries
17 May 2016
Aspirin is currently the most commonly used drug to prevent recurrence of Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) or minor stroke . However there has been concern about the associated risk of hemorrhagic events, such as bleeding in the brain and gut. A global study jointly led by The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and neurology centres from over 30 countries has revealed that another antiplatelet agent ‘ticagrelor’ could potentially be an alternative drug to prevent recurrent stroke. Ticagrelor is found to be more effective than aspirin in preventing ischemic stroke. It can reduce the risk of recurrence by 13%. The findings were presented this month at the European Stroke Organization annual meeting in Barcelona and were published in a leading international journal, The New England Journal of Medicine.
Prof. Lawrence Ka Sing WONG, Mok Hing Yiu Professor of Medicine, Head of Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics CUHK and Member of S.H. Ho College added, ‘The benefits of ticagrelor over aspirin were more obvious in four groups of patients. The first group was of patients who were already taking aspirin when they developed a stroke or TIA, meaning that aspirin might not be strong enough to inhibit platelet aggregation in this special group of patients. Other groups that showed benefits included those patients who were treated early within 12 hours of the onset of symptoms, aged below 65 and Asians.’
Media Coverage
17 May 2016
中大研究 新藥預防小中風復發比傳統亞士匹靈有效 風險少13% (香港01)
18 May 2016
心臟藥治小中風 助預防中風 (明報)
