Pharmaceutical Business review

Nuvelo’s stroke drug enters Phase II trial, gets Fast Track status

Fast Track designation is reserved for new drugs that demonstrate the potential to address an unmet medical need and are intended for the treatment of a serious or life-threatening condition.

The Phase II CARNEROS-1 (catheter directed alfimeprase for restoration of neurologic function and rapid opening of arteries in stroke) proof-of-concept trial is a multi-center, open-label, two part, dose escalation (1mg, 5mg and 10mg) study that will enroll approximately 100 patients within 3-9 hours of stroke onset. The study is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of intra-arterial, catheter-directed, bolus alfimeprase.

Michael Levy, executive vice president of R&D for Nuvelo, said: “We believe that a safer, more efficacious intra-arterial therapy can change the treatment paradigm for stroke patients and that a product candidate such as alfimeprase holds the potential to restore flow rapidly and expand the current treatment window for this underserved patient population.”