OBJECTIVE: To review emerging pharmacological agents for the treatment of 
traumatic brain injury with regard to survival outcomes and provide 
recommendations regarding their use.
METHODS: An Ovid MEDLINE (up to May 2013) and the Cochrane Central Register of 
Controlled Trials (up to May 2013) search was conducted to identify emerging 
pharmacological therapies for the treatment of traumatic brain injury. The 
search was limited to English language and humans. Pharmacological agents that 
were evaluated with respect to survival as an outcome were included.
MAIN RESULTS: Based on the search, the investigators identified the following 
new therapies: beta-receptor antagonists, erythropoiesis stimulating agents, 
hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) and progesterone. With 
the exception of progesterone, which was studied in several small, randomized, 
controlled trials, the remaining agents were primarily studied in observational 
retrospective cohorts. For each of the agents identified, a potential increase 
in survival was noted.
CONCLUSIONS: Emerging pharmacological agents represent promising treatment 
options for traumatic brain injury to improve survival. Most of these agents are 
commercially available for other indications. However, limitations in study 
design, sample size, duration of treatment, timing of treatment and inclusion of 
heterogeneous patient populations make it difficult to draw definitive 
conclusions from the literature.