We studied 95 patients with acute (no later than 24h after onset) carotid ischemic stroke. Patients of the main group (50 patients) received cereton in dose 4 ml (1000 mg) intravenously during 10 days in the combination with traditional treatment; 45 patients of the control group received only traditional treatment. Neurological deficit on NIHSS and vigilance on The Glasgow Coma Scale were assessed at baseline and in 5th, 7th and 19-21th days. The Barthel index was used to measure functional independence of the patient at the discharge from a hospital (21th day). The "cost-effectiveness" ratio, the cost of one score on the NIHSS and Barthel scales were calculated. The reduction in neurological deficit (p<0.05) and higher extent of functional independence were seen in the main group compared to the controls. Based on the "cost-effectiveness" analysis, the use of cereton was shown to be more effective for treatment of patients with acute ischemic stroke: the cost of the achievement of positive effect in patients of the control group receiving only traditional treatment was significantly higher (p<0.05).