A clinical trial into improving mobility and pain relief in stroke sufferers found one-third of participants saw immediate and complete loss of pain and the majority experienced significant improvements in their movement.
The Griffith University-led human clinical trial showed significant pain alleviation and improved mobility of the stroke affected arm in the drug treated group of stroke sufferers, but not the control group of the trial.
The researchers used perispinal etanercept (PSE). Etanercept is a drug commonly used to treat rheumatoid disorders such as arthritis and was repurposed in the trial for stroke.
PSE provides unprecedented outcomes for improving conditions such as stroke-related disability and delays dementia progression, improving recovery from a range of neurological conditions.
“In nearly one-third of patients who experienced constant pain on our trial that would not respond to other medications, we saw a rapid and complete loss of pain straight away, after receiving PSE therapy,” Associate Professor Ralph said.
“These findings support the published observations from animal models of stroke, prior case studies and open-label/observational studies on over a thousand stroke patients reported previously.
“Many examples of the benefit to stroke patients are available to watch online at the Institute of Neurological Recovery website.
“The evidence is now overwhelmingly in favour that PSE treatment can benefit many individuals with stroke disability.”
The results have been published in the journal Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs.
