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"THE HEART OF THE MATTER"
a special program of the National Emergency Medicine Association (NEMA)

Week: 570.1 Guest: Dr. Susan Fagan, pharmacology, Wayne State & Henry Ford Health Sys. Topic: Cost static on TPA drug, and hopes for citicoline Producer/Host: Steve Girard

NEMA: A stroke drug's price...coming up...

SPOT: 15 years in the prevention of heart disease, stroke and trauma - the National Emergency Medicine Association. Call 800-332-6362.

NEMA: We've talked about TPA with Dr. Susan Fagan of Wayne State University...and the high cost of the stroke drug that saves lives...still 2 thousand dollars per dose...I thought drug prices dropped after a while...

FAGAN: ...actually, most drugs go up over time, and they have never increased the price of the drug, since it was marketed. The only thing that drives down the cost of drugs is when there are generic drug equivalents...and there still isn't for TPA.

NEMA: We've heard about the promise of the drug citicoline for stroke victims...

FAGAN: We may be able to use a drug like citicoline, which may be safer than TPA, earlier on in the course of the stroke to actually widen the time whereby TPA might be safe and effective. So I think combination therapy is the next thing that we're going to have to look at...and which can actually increase the eligibility of patients, hopefully, for the thrombolytic...that's what I'm hoping.

NEMA: Citicoline may help clot busting TPA be even more cost effective. Learn the signs of stroke and remember...the longer you ignore them, the more danger you're in. I'm Steve Girard at The Heart of the Matter.