AstraZeneca announces ‘world’s most comprehensive stroke survey’

AstraZeneca and the Stroke Alliance for Europe (SAFE) have revealed plans to conduct the “world’s most comprehensive Global Stroke Survey”.

Unveiled at the European Stroke Conference, AstraZeneca and SAFE will attempt to record the burden of strokes for patients, carers, the functional loss and emotional distress caused by strokes, as well as the wider social consequences. They say that the Global Stroke Study will compare standards of stroke care in many countries across the world to build a comparative picture.

Countries involved in the study include the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, China, Canada, Sweden, Australia and the USA. A total of 2,400 care givers and 2,400 patients will be interviewed.

Dr Tomas Odergren, vice-president and global product director of development at AstraZeneca, said: “Stroke is a medical emergency with potentially devastating consequences if treatment is not sought immediately. Yet poor understanding of the symptoms of stroke often means diagnosis and treatment is delayed.”

“Our hope is that results from this Global Stroke Survey initiative will deepen our understanding of the burden of stroke and contribute to better outcomes for stroke patients in the future,” he added.

AstraZeneca said it has a “firm commitment” to the research of strokes and to further patient and doctor awareness. Earlier this year, the company announced it was withdrawing Exanta, an anticoagulant, on the grounds of possible severe side-effects such as liver damage following use of the drug. The drug once the subject of the largest-ever stroke prevention study.

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