Clevidipine (Cleviprex®) Compared With Urapidil (Ebrantil®)

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is responsible for 10-15% of primary strokes. ICH is a dynamic process with three phases: initial hemorrhage, followed by hematoma expansion and perihematoma edema formation. Hematoma volume is correlated with disease progression and outcome. Contemporary evidence proposes that elevated blood pressure is associated with hematoma expansion while more than 90% of patients with ICH present with acute hypertension. Uncontrolled blood pressure is a leading cause of ICH and it seems also to be a factor of poorer outcomes. Therefore, rapid reduction and control of blood pressure might ease disease progression and improve the outcome. Clevidipine (Cleviprex®), an ultrashort-acting dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonist, with its rapid onset and short duration might be more effective than conventional antihypertensives to achieve rapid blood pressure control in patients with acute ICH.