The Norwegian Tenecteplase Stroke Trial 2 (NOR-TEST 2)

A Randomised Trial of Tenecteplase vs. Alteplase in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background: Alteplase is the only approved acute drug treatment in ischemic stroke and aims at dissolving arterial clots causing cerebral ischemia. The overall benefit of alteplase is substantial. However, there is considerable room for improvement as 2/3 of patients with large clots may not achieve reopening of the vessel and up to 40% of the patients remain severely disabled or die.

Tenecteplase, a modified tissue plasminogen activator, has been shown to be a more efficient and safer thrombolytic drug than alteplase in pre-clinical studies. Tenecteplase has replaced alteplase as thrombolytic treatment in myocardial infarction and may also be the drug of choice in ischemic stroke.

Tenecteplase and alteplase had a similar safety profile in the NOR-TEST trial and there were no differences in efficacy between the two treatment groups. However, a majority of patients had mild stroke which may be associated with a natural favorable prognosis.

In spite of these neutral results, tenecteplase has the potential to replace alteplase as the drug of choice, based on a better pharmacological profile and a simpler practical administration. There is, however, need for a higher number of patients to prove the efficacy and safety of tenecteplase.

Hypothesis: Tenecteplase 0.4 mg/kg is non-inferior compared with alteplase 0.9 mg/kg.

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Cerebrovascular Disorders; Ischemic Stroke; Stroke, Acute
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Tenecteplase; Drug: Alteplase

Detailed Description

Objectives: To compare efficacy and safety of tenecteplase 0.4 mg/kg (single bolus) vs. alteplase 0.9 mg/kg (10% bolus + 90% infusion/60 minutes) a) within 4½ hours after symptom onset; b) within 4½ hours after awakening with stroke symptoms, and c) as bridging therapy within 4½ hours before thrombectomy.

Study design: NOR-TEST-2 is a multi-centre PROBE (prospective randomised, open-label, blinded endpoint) trial, designed to establish non-inferiority of tenecteplase as compared with alteplase for consecutively admitted patients with acute ischaemic stroke treated within 4½ hours after symptom onset. Randomisation tenecteplase:alteplase is 1:1.

Endpoints: Primary endpoint is functional outcome (mRS 0-1) at 90 days (efficacy). Secondary endpoints include rates of cerebral hemorrhages on CT/MR at 24-48 hours and mortality (safety).

Patient recruitment: All patients admitted to hospital with acute ischaemic stroke eligible for standard iv thrombolysis with alteplase and with pre-stroke mRS<3 and NIHSS score of >5 on admission are potentially eligible for NOR-TEST-2. Based on power calculations from NOR-TEST, NOR-TEST 2 aims at including 1036 patients.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 201
• Phase: Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Norway
  • Bergen, Norway, 5021
    • Haukeland University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

General inclusion criteria

• 18 years or older
• Ischaemic stroke with clinical symptoms corresponding to National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale Score (NIHSS) of >5. All stroke sub-types and vascular distributions are eligible. A visible arterial occlusion is not required for inclusion.
• Treatment <4½ hours after stroke onset or after awakening with symptoms.
• Informed consent by patient or by patient's family

Specific sub-set inclusion criteria

• Wake-Up Stroke: FLAIR-DWI mismatch on MRI as judged by the (neuro-) radiologist or neurologist.
• Thrombectomy: Occlusion of intracerebral artery technically accessible for endovascular embolectomy as defined by local treatment protocols.

Exclusion criteria

• Prestroke modified rankin scale of ≥3
• Large areas of hypodense ischaemic changes on baseline CT;
• Patients with systolic blood pressure >185 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure >110 mm Hg in spite of acute antihypertensive treatment;
• Pregnant women (are treated with alteplase);
• Women with possible pregnancy (are treated with alteplase)
• Beast feeding women, if a 24 hours stop of feeding is not feasible.
• Clinical presentation suggesting subarachnoid haemorrhage even if baseline CT is normal;
• Known bleeding diathesis; use of oral anticoagulants with no antidot, INR ≥1,4; heparin <48 hours and increased APTT; low molecular weight heparin(oid) <24 hours; another investigational drug <14 days;
• Patients with arterial puncture at a noncompressible site or lumbar puncture <7 days; major surgery or serious trauma <14 days; gastrointestinal or urinary tract hemorrhage <14 days; clinical stroke <2 months; history of intracranial haemorrhage; CNS neurosurgery <2 months; serious head trauma <2 months; pericarditis; sepsis; any serious medical illness likely to interact with treatment; confounding pre-existent neurological or psychiatric disease; unlikely to complete follow-up;
• Any condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, puts a patient at risk if treated with thrombolysis.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Tenecteplase	Drug: Tenecteplase; 0.4 mg/kg single bolus intravenously; Other Names: Metalyse
Active Comparator: Alteplase	Drug: Alteplase; 0.9 mg/kg as 10% bolus + 90% infusion/60 minutes intravenously; Other Names: Actilyse

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Proportion of patients with favorable functional outcome	Modified Rankin Scale 0-1 (favorable= 0-1, unfavorable 2-6)	90 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Symptomatic cerebral hemorrhage	Proportion of patients with haemorrhagic infarct/haematoma as defined by CT or MRI	24-48 hours
Any cerebral haemorrhage	Proportion of patients haemorrhagic infarct/haematoma as defined by CT or MRI	24-48 hours
Major neurological improvement	Proportion of patients >3 Points improvement by NIHSS score or NIHSS score 0 (NIHSS score range is 0-42)	24 hours
Functional handicap	Ordinal shift analysis of modified Rankin scale (0-6)	90 days
Mortality	Proportion of patients who died	90 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Haukeland University Hospital

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Logallo N, Novotny V, Assmus J, Kvistad CE, Alteheld L, Ronning OM, Thommessen B, Amthor KF, Ihle-Hansen H, Kurz M, Tobro H, Kaur K, Stankiewicz M, Carlsson M, Morsund A, Idicula T, Aamodt AH, Lund C, Naess H, Waje-Andreassen U, Thomassen L. Tenecteplase versus alteplase for management of acute ischaemic stroke (NOR-TEST): a phase 3, randomised, open-label, blinded endpoint trial. Lancet Neurol. 2017 Oct;16(10):781-788. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(17)30253-3. Epub 2017 Aug 2.
• Kvistad CE, Naess H, Helleberg BH, Idicula T, Hagberg G, Nordby LM, Jenssen KN, Tobro H, Rorholt DM, Kaur K, Eltoft A, Evensen K, Haasz J, Singaravel G, Fromm A, Thomassen L. Tenecteplase versus alteplase for the management of acute ischaemic stroke in Norway (NOR-TEST 2, part A): a phase 3, randomised, open-label, blinded endpoint, non-inferiority trial. Lancet Neurol. 2022 Jun;21(6):511-519. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(22)00124-7. Epub 2022 May 4.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 28, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 30, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): December 31, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 21, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 24, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): February 26, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 27, 2025
• Last Verified: February 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Alteplase; Thrombolysis; Tenecteplase
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Ischemic Stroke; Stroke; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Fibrin Modulating Agents; Fibrinolytic Agents; Tenecteplase; Tissue Plasminogen Activator
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2018-003090-95

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No