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New
easier-to-administer heart clot-busting drug
A new clot-busting drug has been approved. can reduce
the time it takes to treat heart attack victims from 90
minutes to five seconds, using a single swift injection
to dissolve clots that choke off the heart's blood
supply.
Tenecteplase, made by Genentech
Inc., won Food and Drug Administration approval and will
be made widely available soon. Genentech also makes TPA
under the brand name Activase,
currently the standard medicine for treating heart clots.
Both of the drugs dissolve blockages in a similar
fashion, preventing further permanent damage.
A major drawback of TPA, is that it must be given as a
continuous 90-minute infusion. Tenecteplase, to be sold
under the name TNKase, can be
administered through one quick, single injection.
Early administration of these drugs is very important to
saving lives.Heart attacks strike more than 1.1 million
people each year in the United States, causing nearly
500,000 deaths. |
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