Aussie-made drug helped change life of stroke survivor
Aaron Piper and his wife Serena returning to the medical precinct in Newcastle where doctors earlier this year saved the 40 year old from the brink of a potentially devastating stroke. 40s obviously very young to have something that’s going to impair me for, for the long run, especially with my children being so young. Aaron was about to get his kids ready for school when a large clot lodged in his brain. I got to the stage where I was crawling like my mobility. That coordination was pretty much shot. He was struggling to to speak properly and he actually had double vision. The green and red on his scan marks the areas deprived of oxygen. Soon after he arrived in hospital, he was given this drug developed by Sydney researchers. Aaron is one of 10 patients so far to receive this treatment. TBO 309 is being trialled at several Australian hospitals on top of standard clot busting treatment. Which doctors say isn’t enough to save lives. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work in all patients. In fact, some forms of stroke that only works in probably one in five patients. Their drug is designed to dissolve clots more effectively while also avoiding the risk of bleeding. In the scans that we did the day after, there was no longer any clot there. The early signs, we think, are are encouraging. The early results will be presented at a stroke conference in Europe in a few weeks. The Pioneers of the drugs say they’re on track to extend the trial to other countries. This is a sort of therapy that could be used globally. It’s brilliant that it’s Australian made Gabriella Rogers 9 news.