FDA approves TNKase for stroke, offering rapid option

Genentech, part of the Roche (ROG: SIX) group, has received a new approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for TNKase (tenecteplase).

The agency has given its blessing for the decades-old med to be used to treat acute ischemic stroke in adults. The product provides a quicker alternative to Activase (alteplase), another stroke medicine marketed by Genentech.

Unlike Activase, which requires an intravenous bolus followed by a 60-minute infusion, TNKase is administered in a single five-second intravenous injection. The streamlined dosing should improve stroke treatment by reducing delays in care, a key factor in limiting brain damage.