Joan

Interview Transcript "It was New Year's Eve, and we were watching a movie, and my husband thought I had a charley horse when I went out and couldn't talk anymore. Then when he looked over at me, he said, 'Oh dear, it's a stroke.' So he called 911, and the ambulance came.

When I was in the hospital, within 15 minutes after they gave me the Activase® (Alteplase), my head was up and my eyes were open, and I was back again.

They put me in the outpatient program, and then they worked with me for three months. I learned how to write again and walk. I went in in a wheelchair, and when I came out six months later, I was just walking out on my own.

I feel lucky that they gave me the Activase in the hospital because in the six months I went through rehab, there were people that came in in wheelchairs and couldn't use their arms or legs. I worked hard at it, and I'm very fortunate that I had the drug, that I had Activase."

Product Indication: Activase, also called tissue plasminogen activator, or t-PA, can be used to treat patients with acute ischemic stroke. For certain patients, Activase may improve the chances of recovery from stroke with little or no disability. Patients can receive Activase only if they begin treatment within 3 hours after their stroke symptoms start and only after they have had a scan to rule out bleeding in the brain.

Important Safety Information:
All thrombolytic agents increase the risk of bleeding, including intracranial bleeding, and should be used only in appropriate patients. Not all patients with acute ischemic stroke will be eligible for Activase therapy, including patients with evidence of recent or active bleeding; recent (within 3 months) intracranial or intraspinal surgery, serious head trauma, or previous stoke; uncontrolled high blood pressure; or impaired blood clotting.

Please see the full Product Information for additional safety information.

Individual results may vary.