rt-PA intravenous treatment for acute ischemic stroke in Japan —Role of The Committee for Improvement of Stroke Therapy of The Japan Stroke Society—

Abstract

In the approval of rt-PA intravenous treatment for acute ischemic stroke in Japan, The Committee for Improvement of Stroke Therapy of The Japan Stroke Society played an important role since the first application for its approval. This therapy was approved in Japan under the premise that training in the correct use of this drug would be provided and the committee held training classes in each prefecture across Japan. 189 classes were held reaching more than 10,000 participants over a 3-year period. As a result, it is estimated that protocol violations occurred in only 6% of approximately 15,000 cases that underwent this treatment. In this article, the situation related to approval and training in the use of rt-PA intravenous treatment for ischemic stroke, and the present use of this drug in Japan are described.