Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 19, 1994 TAG: 9402190064
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: SAN DIEGO LENGTH: Medium
The medicine, called selfotel, shows promise of halting a disastrous chemical chain reaction in the brain that kills cells after a stroke chokes off the blood supply.
"I think this drug, or one like it, will ultimately be proven to be effective," said Dr. James Grotta of the University of Texas Medical School in Houston.
However, the medicine carries one major side effect: Patients temporarily suffer hallucinations like those triggered by PCP, or angel dust, which affects the brain in a similar way.
"It's sort of like a bad trip," said Dr. David Sherman of the University of Texas at San Antonio, who was not involved in the study. However, he said this was not necessarily a serious enough drawback to hinder its use.
Strokes are the third leading cause of death in the United States. They strike about 500,000 people annually and kill about one-third. Often, the survivors are left paralyzed and unable to talk, among other problems.
Currently, there is little doctors can offer. No approved treatments exist that can stop a stroke or head off the death of brain cells that follows it.
Most strokes occur when a blood clot blocks an artery in the brain.
Much of the damage in a stroke occurs when dying cells give off a cascade of chemicals that in turn kill nearby healthy cells. One of these chemicals is a brain messenger called glutamate. It induces other nerve cells to absorb too much calcium, which kills them.
Selfotel is a so-called glutamate antagonist. It blocks healthy cells from taking up glutamate, short-circuiting the damage process.
Those getting selfotel experienced such PCP-like effects as hallucinations, confusion, paranoia and delirium. Grotta said these symptoms usually went away after a couple of days, and they could be reasonably controlled by reassuring patients and giving them sedatives. He said there was no evidence of lasting problems caused by the medicine.
The latest study, directed by Grotta, was financed by Ciba-Geigy Corp., which makes the medicine. It was presented Friday at a stroke conference sponsored by the American Heart Association.
The study, involving 32 patients, was intended to judge the drug's safety. Larger studies will be needed to prove its effectiveness.
by CNB