Stroke

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the western world, after heart disease and cancer, and causes 10% of deaths worldwide. In the US, 273 000 deaths/year follow a stroke. 10% of ischemic stroke leads to death within 30 days and 50% in the next 6 months. Stroke is also the first leading cause of disability for adults and up to 50% of surviving patients remain disabled. In the US, the cost associated with stroke has been estimated at 58 MM$ in 2006 (American Heart Association).  

Alteplase (tPA, Genentech) is the only drug registered on main markets to treat stroke within 3 hours following the attack. The percentage of patient treated with alteplase is low (3-5%) due to the narrow therapeutic window and the need for a CT scan or an MRI before treatment to eliminate a cerebral hemorrhage and the stringent clinical requirement due to the risk of cerebral bleeding.

High incidence and severity combined with a single drug available to treat only 5% of patients reflect the strong medical needs in stroke. The main needs are for more active drugs, safer, that can protect brain cells from damages caused by ischemia with a therapeutic window greater than 3 hours.

Because many candidates (receptor modulators, anti-oxidative agents, ...) have failed in the clinic, there is a strong need to test drugs with new mechanisms of action suc as CDK inhibitors which target multiple pathways.