http://eon.businesswire.com/news/eon/20120131005032/en
On February 2 in New Orleans, Dr. Kevin Sheth of the University of Baltimore Medical Center will address an audience at the International Stroke Conference to present promising preliminary results from an ongoing drug trial in patients with severe stroke.
“GAMES (Glyburide Advantage in Malignant Edema and Stroke) Pilot: Initial Design and Enrollment”Every 40 seconds of every day, someone in the United States suffers a stroke. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in this country, surpassed only by heart disease and cancer. One recent high profile case that received much media attention involved 52-year old freshman Illinois Senator Mark Kirk, who won Barrack Obama’s vacated seat after he was elected president.
According to media reports, on Saturday January 21 Kirk was feeling dizzy and headachy when he checked himself into Lake Forest Hospital just outside Chicago. As doctors would soon learn, he had suffered a stroke. When his medical condition deteriorated, he was transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago where a decision was made to perform what is termed “decompressive surgery.” The delicate procedure involves removing a portion of the skull (later reattached) to relieve cranial pressure caused by brain swelling.
Just down the street from where Senator Kirk underwent his surgery, a clinical trial using a new stroke drug was being conducted. Rush Hospital in Chicago is part of a group of U.S. medical centers taking part in a clinical trial, referred to as the GAMES-PILOT study. GAMES-PILOT is designed to test Remedy Pharmaceuticals’ drug, RP-1127 in patients with severe stroke who are likely to develop significant brain swelling. Had the senator been sent to Rush Hospital in time, it is possible he could have been eligible for inclusion in this study.
“Despite best available medical management, the prognosis for severe stroke patients is poor,” says Sven Jacobson, CEO of Remedy Pharmaceuticals, the sponsor of the GAMES-PILOT study. “Decompressive surgery has improved the bleak outlook for many of these patients, yet numerous factors limit its usefulness. Some patients may get back to being functional, but many are left with very severe deficits. Clearly preventing brain swelling is a better strategy than attempting to relieve its deleterious effects. We hope that one day our drug will offer stroke patients a chance for a fuller recovery.”
Dr. Sheth’s poster presentation, titled “GAMES (Glyburide Advantage in Malignant Edema and Stroke) Pilot: Initial Design and Enrollment” will be presented at Poster CT P35, Hall B (Poster Hall) on Thursday Feb 2, 2012 at 6:15 PM.
Detailed information on the GAMES Pilot Study is available at: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01268683
About RP-1127
Remedy’s lead drug candidate, RP-1127, is a high affinity, well tolerated inhibitor of NCCa-ATP channels, which are key upstream mediators of the development of brain swelling (edema) and hemorrhage following ischemic and traumatic injury.
About Remedy Pharmaceuticals
Remedy Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of small molecule drugs for acute central nervous system disorders including stroke, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury. RP-1127 has not yet been approved for use by the FDA.
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