A team of Chinese researchers has found that the blood clot-dissolving drug, Alteplase, could be the key to improving recovery times of stroke patients by more than 50 per cent.

Stroke Treatment: The team from Zhejiang University, while presenting its research at the recent International Stroke Conference 2025 of the American Stroke Association held in Los Angeles, US, said that the drug is effective when given up to 24 hours after the onset of ischemic stroke.

Take care of the golden hour

For stroke patients, the golden hour, which occurs when reduced blood flow to a part of the brain causes cells to die, is the first 60 minutes after the onset of symptoms, during which treatment is most effective. Until now, the period known for effective treatment was up to 4.5 hours for some patients.

New hope for patients

The study results are promising for stroke patients around the world who may not be able to access blood clot-dissolving drugs within the time period needed, said Min Lou, a professor at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine in China.

How was the research done?

Their study was based on 372 stroke patients whose symptoms started 4.5 hours to 24 hours before the stroke. The participants were randomly divided into 2 groups. While one group received the blood clot-dissolving drug alteplase, the other group was given standard stroke care of antiplatelet therapy.

Research results

show nearly 40 percent of participants treated with alteplase showed little or no disability after 90 days. In contrast, only 26 percent of those receiving standard care had no disability. Findings show a 54 percent higher chance of functional recovery with alteplase.

However, those taking alteplase had a higher risk of bleeding in the brain than participants who did not take it (3.8% vs 0.5%), but researchers believe this is a manageable risk.

Pointing out the need for more research, Min Lu explained that the findings should be applied to other groups of people, especially in areas with varying stroke risks and health care resources, to understand the efficacy and safety of alteplase and other such drugs.

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