Comparative safety of tenecteplase vs alteplase for acute ischemic stroke

Assessment of transition from use of alteplase to tenecteplase in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke in a large system of community hospitals

OBJECTIVE

Pharmacologic thrombolytic treatment for acute ischemic stroke has primarily been managed by intravenous alteplase. Tenecteplase is a variant that has been shown to be non-inferior to alteplase in clinical trials. In this study, we present a real-world assessment of patient outcomes with the facility-wide transition to the use of tenecteplase versus altepase for acute ischemic stroke in a large system of community hospitals in the United States.

METHODS

This retrospective analysis assessed adult patients who received either alteplase or tenecteplase between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2023. Propensity matching was used to estimate the covariate-adjusted association with outcomes of discharge expired/hospice, intracranial hemorrhage and readmission to a facility in the same healthcare system within 30, 60, or 90 days.

RESULTS

Among 12,766 patients, gross mortality was 7.6% (n = 285) with tenecteplase and 8.2% (n = 739) with alteplase (p = 0.314); intracranial hemorrhage was 2.4% with either. The propensity match analysis found that the relative risk of mortality/hospice for patients given tenecteplase versus alteplase was 0.993 (95% CI: 0.848-1.162, p = 1.000). When limited to five facilities with the highest volume of thrombolytic use, there were no significant differences in outcomes. While the time from emergency department arrival to thrombolytic administration (door-to-needle) was shorter among patients receiving tenecteplase, there was no significant difference in the odds of mortality based on door-to-needle time.

CONCLUSION

In alignment with previous studies, these findings demonstrate the lack of potential harm with a transition from alteplase to tenecteplase in clinical practice for acute ischemic stroke patients treated in community hospitals.

Door to needle time trends after transition to tenecteplase: A Multicenter Texas stroke registry

BACKGROUND

Tenecteplase (TNK) is considered a promising option for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) with the potential to decrease door-to-needle times (DTN). This study investigates DTN metrics and trends after transition to tenecteplase.

METHODS

The Lone Star Stroke (LSS) Research Consortium TNK registry incorporated data from three Texas hospitals that transitioned to TNK. Subject data mapped to Get-With-the-Guidelines stroke variables from October 1, 2019 to March 31, 2023 were limited to patients who received either alteplase (ALT) or TNK within the 90 min DTN times. The dataset was stratified into ALT and TNK cohorts with univariate tables for each measured variable and further analyzed using descriptive statistics. Logistic regression models were constructed for both ALT and TNK to investigate trends in DTN times.

RESULTS

In the overall cohort, the TNK cohort (n = 151) and ALT cohort (n = 161) exhibited comparable population demographics, differing only in a higher prevalence of White individuals in the TNK cohort. Both cohorts demonstrated similar clinical parameters, including mean NIHSS, blood glucose levels, and systolic blood pressure at admission. In the univariate analysis, no difference was observed in median DTN time within the 90 min time window compared to the ALT cohort [40 min (30-53) vs 45 min (35-55); P = .057]. In multivariable models, DTN times by thrombolytic did not significantly differ when adjusting for NIHSS, age (P = .133), or race and ethnicity (P = .092). Regression models for the overall cohort indicate no significant DTN temporal trends for TNK (P = .84) after transition; nonetheless, when stratified by hospital, a single subgroup demonstrated a significant DTN upward trend (P = 0.002).

CONCLUSION

In the overall cohort, TNK and ALT exhibited comparable temporal trends and at least stable DTN times. This indicates that the shift to TNK did not have an adverse impact on the DTN stroke metrics. This seamless transition is likely attributed to the similarity of inclusion and exclusion criteria, as well as the administration processes for both medications. When stratified by hospital, the three subgroups demonstrated variable DTN time trends which highlight the potential for either fatigue or unpreparedness when switching to TNK. Because our study included a multi-ethnic cohort from multiple large Texas cities, the stable DTN times after transition to TNK is likely applicable to other healthcare systems.

Comparative Analysis of Tenecteplase versus Alteplase in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Multicentric Observational Study from Eastern India

BACKGROUND

Tenecteplase is used as an alternative to alteplase and is considered noninferior for thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke.

OBJECTIVES

To compare the effectiveness and adverse effects of tenecteplase and alteplase in the real-world management of acute ischemic stroke.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this retrospective observational study, we collected data from acute ischemic stroke patients admitted in six hospitals in West Bengal, India, and were thrombolysed with tenecteplase or alteplase between July 2021 and June 2022. Demographic data, baseline parameters, hospital course, and 3-month follow-up data were collected. The percentage of patients achieving a score of 0-2 in the modified Ranking scale at 3 months, rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, and all-cause mortality within 3 months were the main parameters of comparison between the two thrombolytic agents.

RESULTS

A total of 162 patients were initially included in this study. Eight patients were excluded due to unavailability of follow-up data. Among the remaining patients, 71 patients received tenecteplase and 83 patients received alteplase. There was no statistically significant difference between tenecteplase and alteplase with respect to the percentage of patients achieving functional independence (modified Rankin scale score 0-2) at 3 months (53.5% vs. 60.2%, P = 0.706), rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (5.6% vs. 10.8%, P = 0.246), and all-cause mortality at 3 months (11.3% vs. 15.7%, P = 0.628).

CONCLUSION

The effectiveness of tenecteplase is comparable to alteplase in the real-world management of acute ischemic stroke. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and all-cause mortality rates are also similar in real-world practice.