An experimental clot-busting drug made from the saliva of a vampire bat can restore blood flow to the brain as long as nine hours after the onset of stroke symptoms, according to new research.The drug, called desmoteplase, was given to patients three to nine hours after a stroke, and blood flow to the brain was successfully restored in more than half of the patients who received the highest dose of the drug.Moreover, 90 days after treatment up to 60% of patients receiving the drug improved enough to be living independently and to “complete activities of daily living,” says Anthony Furlan, MD, a stroke expert at The Cleveland Clinic.The only FDA-approved clot-busting treatment for stroke is tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, which must be administered within three hours of a stroke.The results of the study were reported at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2005.
