Nation IN BRIEF : NATIONWIDE : New Drug Aids Stroke Victims

An experimental new drug powerfully protects stroke victims from catastrophic brain damage, researchers say. The new drug, citicoline, is the first of a group of so-called neuroprotective drugs, which shield the brain from a destructive chain reaction started by a stroke. In a study, the drug appeared to limit the size of the stroke, speed up recovery and improve victims’ mental functioning. The study was paid for by the maker of citicoline, Interneuron Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Lexington, Mass. Interneuron Pharmaceuticals has not yet asked the Food and Drug Administration for approval to sell it. Dr. Wayne Clark, who headed the team that tested the drug at 21 hospitals, presented the findings at a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in San Francisco.