SAINT-I Worked, But the Neuroprotectant Is Not NXY-059

To the Editor:Testing AstraZeneca’s nitrone drug NXY-059 against acute stroke, the SAINT-I phase-3 trial1 showed significant neuroprotectant activity.1 Moreover, looking at hemorrhagic progression secondary to the “clot-buster” tPA (alteplase) in a parallel trial, symptomatic hemorrhage more than halved in the NXY-059-treated group, to 2.5% versus 6.4% in the controls. Likewise, the rate of asymptomatic hemorrhage was significantly lower in the treatment group (12.9% versus 20.9%). Although the subjective modified Rankin Scale used in the main trial might be open to question, it is hard to dismiss …