A wider stroke window

Abbott Laboratories ' 180-patient Phase III PROACT II study last week demonstrated that stroke patients can be treated successfully up to 6 hours after symptom onset. But the specialized administration required for Abbott's r-ProUK recombinant pro-urokinase thrombolytic may make it less frequently used than Genentech Inc. 's Activase tPA, even though tPA must be used within a 3-hour window.

PROACT II's 6 hour treatment window is the longest yet shown for thrombolytic therapy. However, to achieve that effect r-ProUK had to be injected by intra-arterial catheter directly into the site of the blood clot in the brain, while tPA is delivered intravenously...