NXY-059

NXY-059 is the disulfonyl derivative of the neuroprotective spintrap phenylbutynitrone or "PBN". It was under development at the drug company AstraZeneca. A 2005 phase-3 clinical trial^{[1] [2]} called "SAINT-1" reported some efficacy in the acute treatment of ischemia injury due to stroke. However, a 2006 attempt to repeat this trial indicated no significant activity. After ruling out other causes, the authors tentatively attributed the positive results in the first trial to "chance"^[3]. This was even though the probability of the SAINT-1 results happening by chance was roughly one in 25 for the main part of the SAINT-1 study, involving the Modified Rankin scale. It was also one chance in 200 for a parallel study looking at inhibition of hemorrhagic stroke from use of the "clot-buster" alteplase or "tPA".