Vasospasm occurs 5-14 days following SAH and leads to strokes and neurological deficits that cause significant disability to patients and is a major cause of death. As many as 70% of people who have aneurysmal SAH may have arterial narrowing and even with the most advanced surgical and endovascular advances in securing the aneurysm, the outcomes remain poor with up to 30% developing neurological deficits or dying2.
This Phase IIa study with 34 patients demonstrated that patients given the i.v. endothelin receptor antagonist clazosentan continuously for up to 14 days suffered from significantly fewer and less severe cases of vasospasm compared to placebo. Only 40% of patients treated with clazosentan developed cerebral vasospasm, as diagnosed on angiography, compared to 88% of patients treated with placebo (p=0.008).1
Furthermore, there were fewer patients with new cerebral infarcts in the clazosentan group 15% versus 44% in the placebo group. Overall the nature and severity of adverse events were comparable between the two treatment groups. Infusions of clazosentan were generally well tolerated, with no clinically relevant effects on blood pressure or other vital signs.1
Dr Peter Vajkoczy, Neurosurgeon at the Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital, Mannheim, and the main author of the study comments:
"While our understanding of cerebral vasospasm has continued to improve, a solution to this challenge is yet to be found. However, these results are certainly promising and it is important that these findings are assessed and confirmed in a larger population to identify how clazosent
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Contact: Alexa Forbes
alexa@packerforbes.com
44-208-772-1551
Packer Forbes
4-Jul-2005