TOAST Finds Little Benefit Of Orgaran In Stroke

The results of TOAST (Trial of Orgaran in Acute Stroke Treatment) haveindicated that there is no benefit for Organon's heparinoid drug Orgaran (danaparoid) in improving outcomes in the months after ischemic stroke. Data from the trial, which was completed in the last couple of weeks and was the largest ever undertaken of an antithrombotic in stroke, were presented at the 6th European Stroke Conference, held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on May 29.

The trial, sponsored by the US National Institutes of Health, involved 1,281 patients with CT-confirmed evidence of ischemic stroke, who were randomized to treatment with placebo or Orgaran within 24 hours of symptom onset (the average time was 16 hours). Both placebo and Orgaran were delivered via an intravenous bolus followed by a seven-day infusion. Orgaran was selected because of its low rate of bleeding complications.

Treatment with Orgaran was associated with improved outcome at seven days using the NIH's stroke scale, the Glasgow Outcome Scale and the Barthel Index, but this was not sustained at a second, three-month endpoint.