A potentially life-saving drug developed to treat strokes

A potentially life-saving drug could be on the way for people at risk of strokes which impacts around 27,000 Australians every year.

The Heart Research Institute has developed a drug called TBO-309 which has the potential to improve blood flow to the brain by busting clots and reducing the risk of brain injury caused by strokes.

It is the first breakthrough of its kind in more than 30 years and Australians will get their hands on the medication next month as part of a trial.

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The drug is part of a group of medications known as blood thinners – like aspirin – and is often used to treat heart attacks.

But this drug has the potential to treat strokes.

Strokes occur when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel and interrupts blood flow to the brain.

If the clot is not resolved in a few hours it can often cause irreversible brain damage.

Lead researcher Professor Shaun Jackson said medical professionals give aspirin to heart attack sufferers to reduce the risk and this new drug could be equivalent for those at risk of a stroke.

"If this drug can improve blood flow to the brain, without causing excessive bleeding, it could be a game changer in advancing the traditional methods of treating ischaemic stroke, improving the quality of life for thousands of stroke sufferers," he said.

"If suc­cess­ful, this dis­cov­ery will be the first drug break­through for the treat­ment of stroke in more than three decades of research. It could min­imise the cog­ni­tive and phys­i­cal dis­abil­i­ties caused by stroke."

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Associate Professor Simone Schoenwaelder added treating strokes quickly is essential in preventing long-term damage so if this drug can improve blood flow it would be a breakthrough treatment for the disease.

"Unlike aspirin and other antiplatelets on the market, its anti-clotting activity comes without the potentially devastating risk of bleeding which can lead to further brain damage and death," Schoenwaelder said.

Phase II Clinical trials will begin in August with 80 stroke patients across Australia able to access the drug to see how it improves the blood flow in the brain.

If the drug is successful in the clinical trials it could mean 90 per cent of stroke sufferers would have more treatment options in the crucial first 12 hours.

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