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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 are considered suitable for non-surgical management and 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

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Age ≥ 18 years old;
  • Symptom onset or last known well≤ 6 hours before randomization;
  • Traditional Chinese Medicine syndrome consistent with heat-toxin internal accumulation: at least two of high fever, flushed face, restlessness, dry mouth, or rapid pulse;
  • No surgical plan at the time of randomization;
  • All corresponding eligibility criteria must be met according to the randomization setting:
  • If randomized in the prehospital (ambulance) setting: AI model predicts ICH, FAST score ≥ 2 and GCS ≥ 8;
  • If randomized in the emergency department: brain imaging confirms ICH, hematoma volume ≥ 10 mL, NIHSS score ≥ 8, and GCS score≥ 7;
  • Provide written informed consent by patient (or approved surrogate)

Exclusion criteria

  • Severe comorbid disease likely to interfere with trial treatment, follow-up, or outcome assessment, such as severe heart failure;
  • History of epilepsy or seizure-like attack;
  • Pregnancy or lactation;
  • Subjects meeting any of the following criteria in the corresponding randomization setting shall be excluded:

If randomized in the prehospital (ambulance) setting: blood glucose <2.8 mmol/L; head trauma within the previous 7 days; If randomized in the emergency department: severe hepatic or renal dysfunction, defined as serum creatinine ≥ 2 mg/dL or ALT/AST >3 times the upper limit of normal; secondary cause of hemorrhage, including arteriovenous malformation or other structural abnormality.

Treatment and study plan

ANP + Standard Care

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 + Standard Care

Drug

Matching placebo administered in addition to guideline-based standard care, identical to 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 and hematoma expansion

    Time frame: 24 hours

    Hematoma volume will be measured on brain CT/MRI in mL using semi-automated volumetric software. 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. Larger volumes and expansion indicate worse outcome.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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).

  5. 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.

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) Domain of the APEX-STROKE Adaptive Platform Trial

Acronym: CALM-ICH

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2029
Study completion
2030
First posted
Aug 7, 2026
Registry last updated
Aug 7, 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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