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| |  Study Seeks to Prevent Recurrent Strokes in African Americans CHICAGO, Oct. 11, 1995 -- For the first time, researchers are launching a large-scale, clinical study to evaluate if a medication is effective in preventing repeat strokes in African Americans. The study, which is coordinated by Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, is a collaborative effort of 24 medical centers in the Chicago area and will involve 1,800 people over the next five years. "We want to know how to prevent second strokes in this population," said Dr. Philip Gorelick, principal investigator of the study and a member of the Rush Neuroscience Institute. "If we can answer this question, we'll have tremendous savings in terms of life and disability. It also will mean significant economic savings for the country." Gorelick and his group will compare aspirin and ticlopidine to determine which medication is more effective in preventing second strokes that are caused by blocked blood vessels in or leading to the brain. Patients will receive either aspirin or ticlopidine twice a day for at least two years and will not know which medication they are receiving. All medications and tests associated with the study will be free. Both aspirin and ticlopidine prevent the blood cells responsible for clotting (platelets) from sticking together. aspirin accomplishes this by working inside the platelets to block an enzyme responsible for the clumping. Ticlopidine, which is manufactured by Hoffmann-La Roche and is being provided free of charge, works on the cell surface and has a broader effect. "Earlier research has shown that ticlopidine may work better than aspirin in certain groups of people, specifically, African Americans, women and diabetics," Gorelick said. "Also, research has shown that ticlopidine can reduce the risk for stroke by as much as 50 percent more than aspirin in the first year of treatment." "In previous clinical studies, ticlopidine was shown to be 48 percent more effective in preventing second strokes in the general population," said Dr. Robert Armstrong, vice president of medical affairs for Hoffmann-La Roche. "This new study gives us a great opportunity to determine who in the African-American community can benefit." According to the National Stroke Association (NSA), approximately 500,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year, making it the third-leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability in the United States. The NSA recently released information showing that African Americans have the highest stroke-related deaths in the United States. The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research recently said that strokes cost Medicare, insurance carriers and the American public $33 billion each year. "This study is significant because it represents a change in the direction of clinical trials because it targets people at high risk," Gorelick said. "African Americans have the highest stroke mortality risk in the United States of any racial or ethnic group, but their participation in other stroke studies is usually only about 5 to 10 percent. Obviously, this is very small compared to the magnitude of the problem." The National Institutes of Health is providing $10.8 million over the next five years for the study. Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc. is the United States affiliate of the multinational group of companies headed by Roche Holding Ltd. of Basel, Switzerland. One of the world's leading research-intensive health care companies, Roche has discovered, developed and introduced numerous important prescription pharmaceuticals. The company is also a major provider of diagnostic products and clinical testing services, home infusion therapy services, and vitamins, premixes and other products for human and animal nutrition and health. Recognized for excellence in both biotechnology and traditional chemistry, Roche is also widely known for its current efforts in the research, development and commercialization of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology, a revolutionary advance in diagnostics and other fields, including biomedical research, forensics and environmental testing. Participants of the study must be African American between the ages of 29 and 85 and have suffered a clot-related stroke within the last 90 days. Patients who have had a stroke caused by a hemorrhage or are taking certain types of medications are not eligible. For more information regarding the study, please call 312-432-5200. CONTACT: Gary Mans of Rush, 312-942-5579; or Al Wasilewski of Hoffmann-La Roche, 201-562-2231
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