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NCT Number: NCT07752719

APEX-STROKE CALM-ICH Domain

In this domain of APEX-STROKE, participants with acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) who meet the eligibility criteria for this domain will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either Angong Niuhuang pills (ANP) or matching placebo, both in addition to guideline-based standard care. The matching placebo is the control condition and is not counted as a domain intervention.

• Intervention: Angong Niuhuang pills (ANP) in addition to guideline-based standard care.

ANP should be initiated as soon as possible after randomization in the ambulance or emergency department setting, with subsequent treatment continued for a total of 14 days according to the domain-specific intervention schedule.

• Control condition: matching placebo in addition to guideline-based standard care.

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Key information

Conditions

Stroke Brain Diseases Cardiovascular Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Cerebral Hemorrhage Cerebrovascular Disorders Hemorrhage Intracerebral Hemorrhage Intracranial Hemorrhages Nervous System Diseases Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Vascular Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 3

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • In-Hospital Setting
  • Age ≥18 years.
  • Symptom onset or last known well ≤6 hours before randomization. Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) confirmed by brain imaging, with a hematoma volume ≥10 mL.
  • National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score ≥8.
  • Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score ≥8.
  • Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome consistent with internal accumulation of heat-toxin, defined by the presence of at least 2 of the following: high fever, facial flushing, agitation, dry mouth, and rapid pulse.
  • No surgery performed at the time of randomization.
  • Written informed consent obtained from the participant or their legally authorized representative.
  • Prehospital (Ambulance) Setting
  • Age ≥18 years.
  • Symptom onset or last known well ≤6 hours before randomization.
  • Predicted to have ICH by an artificial intelligence-based model.
  • FAST score ≥2.
  • TCM syndrome consistent with internal accumulation of heat-toxin, defined by the presence of at least 2 of the following: high fever, facial flushing, agitation, dry mouth, and rapid pulse.
  • Written informed consent obtained from the participant or their legally authorized representative.

Exclusion criteria

  • In-Hospital Setting
  • Secondary ICH, including ICH associated with cerebrovascular malformations or other structural abnormalities, brain tumors, head trauma, hemorrhagic transformation of cerebral infarction, or bleeding following thrombolysis or thrombectomy.
  • Severe comorbidities that may interfere with study treatment, follow-up, or outcome assessment (e.g., severe heart failure, malignant tumors, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or severe pre-existing disability).
  • Known allergy to Angong Niuhuang Wan or any of its ingredients.
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
  • History of severe chronic kidney disease or hepatic failure.
  • Very high likelihood of death within 7 days or poor anticipated adherence to study treatment or follow-up.
  • Prehospital (Ambulance) Setting
  • Blood glucose <2.8 mmol/L.
  • History of head trauma within the previous 7 days.
  • History of seizures or seizure-like episodes.
  • Severe comorbidities that may interfere with study treatment, follow-up, or outcome assessment (e.g., severe heart failure, malignant tumors, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or severe pre-existing disability).
  • Known allergy to Angong Niuhuang Wan or any of its ingredients.
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
  • History of severe chronic kidney disease or hepatic failure.
  • Very high likelihood of death within 7 days or poor anticipated adherence to study treatment or follow-up.

Treatment and study plan

Angong Niuhuang Pills (ANP)

Drug

Angong Niuhuang pills (ANP), a Traditional Chinese Medicine formulation supplied as 3 g pills, administered in addition to guideline-based standard care. Awake participants receive one pill orally as soon as possible after randomization. Unconscious participants receive a suspension prepared by removing the pill shell and grinding it with 15 mL room-temperature normal saline (used within 1 hour of preparation): in the ambulance setting, administered onto the tongue in 2-2.5 mL increments every 10 minutes, with the remaining dose given via nasogastric tube after hospital admission; in the emergency department, administered directly via nasogastric tube. After the initial dose, treatment continues as one pill twice daily during week 1 and one pill once daily during week 2, for a total treatment duration of 14 days.

Placebo

Drug

Matching placebo, identical to Angong Niuhuang pills (ANP) in appearance, smell, taste, dosing schedule, and treatment duration (14 days total). Contains inactive excipients only and is indistinguishable from active treatment to participants, treating teams, outcome assessors, and trial personnel.

Primary outcomes

  1. modified Rankin scale (mRS) scores

    Time frame: 180 days

    The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) is a 7-point ordinal scale assessing global disability and functional dependence after stroke, ranging from 0 (no symptoms) to 6 (death). Intermediate scores indicate increasing severity: 1, no significant disability; 2, slight disability; 3, moderate disability; 4, moderately severe disability; 5, severe disability. The primary analysis will use the ordinal distribution of scores across all 7 levels; lower scores indicate better functional outcome.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Hematoma volume

    Time frame: 24 hours

    Hematoma volume will be measured on brain CT/MRI in mL using semi-automated volumetric software.

  2. Hematoma Expansion at 24 Hours

    Time frame: 24 hours

    Hematoma expansion is defined as an absolute increase of ≥6 mL or a relative increase of ≥33% in hematoma volume between baseline and the 24-hour scan.

  3. NIHSS score

    Time frame: 24 hours and 7 day

    The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) ranges from 0 (no neurological deficit) to 42 (most severe deficit), assessing consciousness, gaze, visual fields, motor and sensory function, language, and neglect. Higher scores indicate more severe neurological impairment.

  4. Mortality

    Time frame: 180 days

    All-cause mortality will be reported as the number and proportion of participants who died from any cause by 180 days after randomization.

  5. Favorable functional outcome (mRS 0-2 and mRS 0-3)

    Time frame: 180 days

    Favorable functional outcome is defined using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), which ranges from 0 (no symptoms) to 6 (death). Two thresholds will be reported: participants achieving mRS 0-2 (no symptoms to slight disability, independent living) and participants achieving mRS 0-3 (no symptoms to moderate disability, ambulatory without assistance).

  6. Health-Related quality of Life assessed by EQ-5D

    Time frame: 180 days

    The EQ-5D assesses health-related quality of life across 5 dimensions (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression), each scored on a severity scale, combined into a weighted index value, with an accompanying EQ visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) rated from 0 (worst imaginable health) to 100 (best imaginable health). Higher scores indicate better health status.

Other outcomes

  1. Incidence of Serious Adverse Events

    Time frame: From randomization through 180 days after randomization

    Incidence of serious adverse events (SAEs) occurring during the safety follow-up period. An SAE is defined as an adverse event resulting in death, a life-threatening event, inpatient hospitalization or prolongation of existing hospitalization, persistent or significant disability or incapacity, congenital anomaly or birth defect, or an important medical event that, based on appropriate medical judgment, may jeopardize the participant or require medical or surgical intervention to prevent one of these outcomes.

  2. Incidence of Adverse Events of Special Interest

    Time frame: From randomization through 180 days after randomization

    Incidence of adverse events of special interest (AESIs) during the safety follow-up period. AESIs include whole-blood mercury or arsenic concentrations ≥2 times the upper limit of normal (ULN), liver function abnormalities defined as alanine aminotransferase or aspartate aminotransferase >3 times the ULN, and renal function abnormalities defined as serum creatinine ≥2 mg/dL.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Fudan University

Other

Collaborators

  • Beijing University of Chinese Medicine
  • Chinese PLA General Hospital
  • Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine
  • Huashan Hospital
  • Hubei College of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Registry information

Official study title

Chinese Angong Niuhuang for Acute Medical Management of Intracerebral Hemorrhage (CALM-ICH) Domain of the APEX-STROKE Adaptive Platform Trial

Acronym: CALM-ICH

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2029
Study completion
2029
First posted
Aug 7, 2026
Registry last updated
Aug 26, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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