Australia's Government Advances a New Era in Stroke Treatment
This week the Australian government has taken a noteworthy step forward, announcing it will invest funds to commence study of a new kind of drug treatment, perispinal etanercept (PSE), for chronic stroke dysfunction in Australia. Source: Institute of Neurological Recovery.
BOCA RATON, Fla., Oct. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- This week the Australian government has taken a noteworthy step forward, announcing it will invest funds to commence study of a new kind of drug treatment, perispinal etanercept (PSE), for chronic stroke dysfunction in Australia. This will be the first clinical trial of its kind in the world, designed with the goal of not only improving quality of life but also facilitating return to work after stroke.
Despite advances in acute stroke care, the treatment of chronic stroke, neurological dysfunction that lasts for years after a stroke, has remained relatively unchanged. The Australian project seeks to change that, by studying PSE, a treatment that has promise for reducing the impact of stroke years or decades after the stroke has occurred, by targeting chronic brain inflammation. Recent evidence, from brain imaging, observational studies, and, most recently, the surgical implantation of stem cells directly into the post-stroke brain, suggests that targeting brain inflammation has the potential to reactivate brain circuits made dormant by stroke and thereby reduce chronic post-stroke neurological dysfunction.
Chronic stroke neurological dysfunction may include difficulties with walking, motor function, spasticity, cognition, speech, swallowing, visual perception, balance, fatigue and post-stroke pain. Each of which can substantially interfere with quality of life and, in combination, prevent return to work.
The Australian government and its Minister of Health merit recognition for their focused initiative to address the unmet needs of individuals living with chronic stroke disability in Australia. Their efforts advance stroke research and treatment into a new era, one that could benefit countless millions of individuals living with chronic stroke neurological dysfunction around the world.
Links:
1. October 6, 2018 Australia Minister of Health Announcement Webpage
2. Institute of Neurological Recovery Website: Detailed Perispinal Etanercept Information
References
1. Minister of Health Media Release, "$1 million to support the rehabilitation of stroke survivors."
2. Edward Tobinick M.D. Perispinal etanercept advances as a neurotherapeutic. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics 2018;18(6):453-5.
SOURCE Institute of Neurological Recovery
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