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Stroke survivors get FDA-approved daily pill shown to cut repeat risk by 26%

It is designed to lower the risk of another stroke in adults who recently had a stroke caused by a blood clot (not a heart-related clot) or a mini-stroke (transient ischemic attack, or TIA), which is a temporary interruption of blood flow to the brain, according to the FDA release.

✦ Extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting•From 1 source•1 min read•Updated November 14, 2026, 1:00 PM UTC
Key points
  • EVEN OCCASIONAL MARIJUANA USE LINKED TO HIGHER STROKE RISK, STUDY FINDS The risk of death from heart-related causes, heart attack or stroke was also lower among patients taking asundexian (9.2% versus 11.1%).
  • The FDA has approved Sunharbo (asundexian) to reduce the risks of a recurring stroke in some adults.
  • Approval followed a phase 3 randomized trial involving 12,327 patients across 37 countries, all of whom had a recent non-cardioembolic ischemic stroke or high-risk TIA.

Among those who took 50 mg of asundexian orally once daily plus antiplatelet therapy for a period of 14.2 months, there was a 26% relative reduction in ischemic stroke compared to groups who took a placebo along with antiplatelet therapy.

Additional details
  • HEALTHY RUNNER SUFFERS SUDDEN STROKE AT 27 AS DOCTORS DISCOVER POSSIBLE CAUSE Sunharbo is the first medication of its kind to block a specific protein in the blood (factor XIa) that helps blood clots form.
  • "So it’s important to have that conversation about whether this is a drug for the patient early on, often in the hospital." Medication is only one part of preventing another stroke, the cardiologist emphasized.
  • Patients who took asundexian also had a lower risk of stroke, heart attack or death compared with those who received a placebo.
  • "In the clinical trial that approved this drug, this drug was given very soon after the stroke – within 72 hours," he said.
  • Longer-term studies are needed to identify safety and effectiveness among older patients, underrepresented populations and patients with greater stroke severity, the researchers noted.

How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →

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Fox NewsNovember 14, 2026, 1:00 PM UTC →

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