Effect of a novel free radical scavenger, edaravone (MCI-186), on acute brain infarction. Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study at multicenters. A pilot randomized controlled trial to evaluate the benefit of the cardiac rehabilitation paradigm for the non-acute ischaemic stroke population. Emergency administration of abciximab for treatment of patients with acute ischemic stroke: results of an international phase III trial: Abciximab in Emergency Treatment of Stroke Trial (AbESTT-II). Phase II studies of the glycine antagonist GV150526 in acute stroke : the North American experience. The North American Glycine Antagonist in Neuroprotection (GAIN) Investigators. Glycine antagonist (gavestinel) in neuroprotection (GAIN International) in patients with acute stroke: a randomised controlled trial. GAIN International Investigators. Trends in acute ischemic stroke trials through the 20th century. Abciximab in acute ischemic stroke. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation study. A multicentre, double-blind, randomized study to compare the safety and efficacy of once-daily ORG 10172 and twice-daily low-dose heparin in preventing deep-vein thrombosis in patients with acute ischaemic stroke. CAST: randomised placebo-controlled trial of early aspirin use in 20,000 patients with acute ischaemic stroke. CAST (Chinese Acute Stroke Trial) Collaborative Group.
Edaravone, a novel free radical scavenger, demonstrates neuroprotective effects by inhibiting vascular endothelial cell injury and ameliorating neuronal damage in ischemic brain models. The present study was undertaken to verify its therapeutic efficacy following acute ischemic stroke. We performed a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study on acute ischemic stroke patients commencing within 72 h of onset. Edaravone was infused at a dose of 30 mg, twice a day, for 14 days. At discharge within 3 months or at 3 months after onset, the functional outcome was evaluated using the modified Rankin Scale. Two hundred and fifty-two patients were initially enrolled. Of these, 125 were allocated to the edaravone group and 125 to the placebo group for analysis. Two patients were excluded because of subarachnoid hemorrhage and disseminated intravascular coagulation. A significant improvement in functional outcome was observed in the edaravone group as evaluated by the modified Rankin Scale (p = 0.0382). Edaravone represents a neuroprotective agent which is potentially useful for treating acute ischemic stroke, since it can exert significant effects on functional outcome as compared with placebo. To evaluate risk factor reduction and health-related quality of life following a 10-week cardiac rehabilitation programme in non-acute ischaemic stroke subjects.
                Single-blinded randomized control trial.
                Outpatient rehabilitation.
                Forty-eight community-dwelling ischaemic stroke patients (38 independently mobile, 9 requiring assistance, 1 non-ambulatory) were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups by concealed allocation.
                The trial consisted of a 10-week schedule with measures taken at weeks 1 and 10. Both groups continued usual care (excluding aerobic exercise); intervention subjects attended 16 cycle ergometry sessions of aerobic-training intensity and two stress-management classes.
                Cardiac risk score (CRS); VO(2) (mL O(2)/kg per minute) and Borg Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) assessed during a standardized ergometry test; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS); Frenchay Activity Index; Fasting Lipid Profiles and Resting Blood Pressure.
                Group comparison with independent t-tests showed significantly greater improvement at follow-up by intervention subjects than controls in VO(2) (intervention 10.6 +/-1.6 to 12.0 +/- 2.2, control 11.1 +/-1.8 to 11.1 +/-1.9 t=4.734, P<0.001) and CRS (intervention 13.4 +/-10.1 to 12.4 +/-10.5, control 9.4 +/-6.7 to 15.0 +/-6.1 t=-2.537, P<0.05). RPE rating decreased in intervention subjects (13.4 +/-12.2 to 12.4 +/-2.0) and increased in controls (13.8 +/-1.8 to 14.4 +/-1.6); Mann-Whitney U (U = 173.5, P<0.05). Within-group comparison showed significant decrease in the HADS depression subscale in the intervention group alone (5.1 +/-3.4 to 3.0 +/-2.8) (Wilcoxon signed ranks test Z=-3.278, P<0.001).
                Preliminary findings suggest non-acute ischaemic stroke patients can improve their cardiovascular fitness and reduce their CRS with a cardiac rehabilitation programme. The intervention was associated with improvement in self-reported depression. A previous randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study suggested that abciximab may be safe and effective in treatment of acute ischemic stroke. The current phase 3 study was planned to test the relative efficacy and safety of abciximab in patients with acute ischemic stroke with planned treatment within 5 hours since symptoms onset.
                An international, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind phase 3 trial tested intravenous administration of abciximab in 2 study cohorts using stratification variables of time since onset and stroke severity. The planned enrollment was 1800 patients. The primary cohort enrolled those patients who could be treated within 5 hours of onset of stroke. A companion cohort enrolled patients that were treated 5 to 6 hours after stroke as well as a smaller cohort of patients who could be treated within 3 hours of stroke present on awakening. The primary efficacy measure was the dichotomous modified Rankin Scale score at 3 months as adjusted to the baseline severity of stroke among subjects in the primary cohort. The primary safety outcome was the rate of symptomatic or fatal intracranial hemorrhage that occurred within 5 days of stroke.
                The trial was terminated prematurely after 808 patients in all cohorts were enrolled by recommendation of an independent safety and efficacy monitoring board due to an unfavorable benefit-risk profile. At 3 months, approximately 33% of patients assigned placebo (72/218) and 32% of patients assigned abciximab (71/221; P=0.944) in the primary cohort were judged to have a favorable response to treatment. The distributions of outcomes on the modified Rankin Scale were similar between the treated and control groups. Within 5 days of enrollment, approximately 5.5% of abciximab-treated and 0.5% of placebo-treated patients in the primary cohort had symptomatic or fatal intracranial hemorrhage (P=0.002). The trial also did not demonstrate an improvement in outcomes with abciximab among patients in the companion and wake-up cohorts. Although the number of patients was small, an increased rate of hemorrhage was noted within 5 days among patients in the wake-up population who received abciximab (13.6% versus 5% for placebo).
                This trial did not demonstrate either safety or efficacy of intravenous administration of abciximab for the treatment of patients with acute ischemic stroke regardless of end point or population studied. There was an increased rate of symptomatic or fatal intracranial hemorrhage in the primary and wake-up cohorts. GV150526, a selective glycine site antagonist, reduces infarct volume in rats with focal cerebral ischemia. Safety and efficacy in humans with acute stroke are being investigated. We sought to further explore the safety, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary outcome of GV150526 treatment in patients with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke.
                Two trials were conducted in North America. The North American Glycine Antagonist in Neuroprotection trial (GAIN 1) (GLYA2001; United States only) was designed as a sequential dose escalation study. GAIN 2 (GLYA2005; United States and Canada) was designed to further assess the safety of the highest dose tolerated in GAIN 1. Both trials were randomized (2:1), double-blind, and placebo controlled. Treatment was started within 12 hours of symptom onset; patients with both ischemic stroke and primary intracerebral hemorrhage were included in both trials.
                The dose escalation study (GAIN 1) completed 3 dosing tiers. Enrollment was suspended before escalation to the fourth tier because of laboratory reports of transiently elevated bilirubin levels in a concurrent European study that employed the dose targeted for this tier. After review by an independent safety committee of the worldwide safety data, the second study (GAIN 2) commenced. One hundred nine patients were randomized and dosed with study drug, either an 800-mg loading dose followed by 200 mg every 12 hours for 3 days of GV150526 or placebo. The incidence of serious adverse events was similar in the drug and placebo groups. Mild irritation at the infusion site and symptoms suggestive of mild and reversible altered mentation were reported more frequently in the GV150526 group than in the placebo group. Hyperbilirubinemia was reported in 6% of GV150526-treated patients compared with 3% of placebo-treated patients. Outcome at 4 weeks after stroke was better in GV150526-treated patients, but the studies were not powered to show statistical significance, and the baseline neurological deficits in the GV150526-treated patients were less severe.
                These preliminary studies suggest that GV150526 is well tolerated by patients with suspected acute stroke. Further pivotal studies testing the efficacy and safety of GV150526 in acute stroke are ongoing. Early treatment may improve acute ischaemic stroke outcome. Gavestinel is a selective antagonist at the glycine site of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, and is neuroprotective in animal models of ischaemic stroke.
                We did a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to test whether gavestinel could improve functional outcome after acute stroke in human beings. Conscious patients with stroke involving limb weakness received either gavestinel at an intravenous loading dose of 800 mg followed by 200 mg every 12 h for five doses, or matching placebo, within 6 h of stroke onset. Stratification variables were age and stroke severity. A computed tomography brain scan within 18 h of stroke onset identified the primary efficacy population with ischaemic stroke. Outcome was assessed by an independent observer with the Barthel index at 3 months. Three outcome categories were applied: good (Barthel index 95-100), moderate (60-90), and poor (0-55 or dead). Analysis was by intention to treat.
                Of 1804 patients randomised, 16 received no treatment, and 333 had primary intracranial haemorrhage. 891 patients received gavestinel and 897 received placebo. Outcome in 721 patients who received gavestinel and were analysed for the primary endpoint at 3 months was good in 246 (34.1%), moderate in 136 (18.8%), and poor in 339 (47.0%), compared with 256 (34.9%), 133 (18.1%), and 345 (47.0%), respectively, of 734 patients who received placebo (p=0.8). Mortality at 3 months was 147 (20.4%) in the gavestinel group and 138 (18.8%) in the placebo group. Outcomes within preplanned subgroup and secondary analyses were also neutral. There were no significant differences in serious side-effects between the groups.
                Treatment with gavestinel within 6 h of acute ischaemic stroke did not improve outcome. The advent of controlled clinical trials revolutionized clinical medicine over the course of the 20th century. The objective of this study was to quantitatively characterize developments in clinical trial methodology over time in the field of acute ischemic stroke.
                All controlled trials targeting acute ischemic stroke with a final report in English were identified through MEDLINE and international trial registries. Data regarding trial design, implementation, and results were extracted. A formal 100-point scale was used to rate trial quality.
                A total of 178 controlled acute stroke trials were identified, encompassing 73 949 patients. Eighty-eight trials involved neuroprotective agents, 59 rheological/antithrombotic agents, 26 agents with both neuroprotective and rheological/antithrombotic effects, and 5 a nonpharmacological intervention. Only 3 trials met conventional criteria for a positive outcome. Between the 1950s and 1990s, the number of trials per decade increased from 3 to 99, and mean trial sample size increased from 38 (median, 26) to 661 (median, 113). During 1980-1999, median time window allowed for enrollment decreased per half decade from 48 to 12 hours. Reported pharmaceutical sponsorship increased substantially over time, from 38% before 1970 to 68% in the 1990s. Trial quality improved substantially from a median score of 12 in the 1950s to 72 in the 1990s.
                Accelerating trends in acute stroke controlled trials include growth in number, sample size, and quality, and reduction in entry time window. These changes reflect an increased understanding of the pathophysiology of acute stroke, the imperative for treatment initiation within a critical time window, and more sophisticated trial design. Abciximab is a potent parenterally administered platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonist. Because this agent has been shown to improve outcomes in coronary artery disease, there is interest to evaluate whether it could improve cerebral perfusion and outcomes after ischemic stroke. This study was designed to evaluate the safety of abciximab in acute ischemic stroke and to obtain pilot efficacy data.
                We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation trial. Seventy-four eligible and consenting patients presenting within 24 hours after ischemic stroke onset at 38 study sites were randomly allocated to receive either an escalating dose of abciximab (54 patients) or placebo (20 patients) in a ratio of 3:1. We studied 4 escalating doses of abciximab. Patients underwent a scheduled follow-up head CT scan 24 to 36 hours after the completion of study agent administration to monitor for bleeding complications and were evaluated through 3 months.
                There were no cases of major intracranial hemorrhage. Asymptomatic parenchymal hemorrhages were detected on post-study agent CT in 4 of 54 abciximab patients (7%) and in 1 of 20 placebo patients (5%). Six additional abciximab patients had asymptomatic hemorrhagic lesions detected by unscheduled brain imaging during their follow-up period. Nine of 11 patients with asymptomatic hemorrhage had a baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score >14. At 3 months, there was a trend toward a higher rate of minimal residual disability (Barthel Index > or =95 or modified Rankin scale < or =1) among abciximab patients compared with those who received placebo.
                Abciximab appears to be safe when administered up to 24 hours after stroke onset, and it might improve functional outcome. A multicentre, double-blind, randomized study was performed in 179 patients with acute ischaemic stroke resulting in limb paresis. The purpose was to compare the safety and efficacy of Org 10172 (1250 anti-Xa Units s.c. once daily) and heparin sodium (5000 IU s.c. twice daily) in preventing deep-vein thrombosis (DVT). Prophylaxis started within 72 hours of the onset of stroke and continued for at least 9 days. To detect DVT, patients underwent a daily 125I-fibrinogen leg scanning which, if found positive, was followed by venography. A first computed tomography scan of the brain was performed at screening to rule out cerebral haemorrhage and a second at cessation of treatment to detect any haemorrhagic transformations. At the 2-3-months' follow-up period the patients were examined for signs and symptoms of DVT or pulmonary embolism. On an intention-to-treat analysis, DVT occurred in 14.6% of patients receiving Org 10172 and in 19.8% of those receiving heparin during the treatment period (p = 0.392, NS). Pulmonary embolism was diagnosed in one patient in each group. Major conversion to a symptomatic haemorrhagic brain infarct was found in one patient in each group. Death occurred in 13.5% of patients treated with Org 10172 and in 6.7% of patients treated with heparin (p = 0.135, NS). Deaths were mainly related to pulmonary infection and cerebral oedema, thus considered to be due directly to the clinical status of the patients. 1250 anti-Xa Units of Org 10172 once daily is both safe and as effective as 5000 IU of heparin sodium twice daily given for DVT prophylaxis in patients with acute ischaemic stroke of recent onset. Aspirin is effective in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction and in the long-term prevention of serious vascular events in survivors of stroke and myocardial infarction. There is, however, no reliable evidence on the effectiveness of early aspirin use in acute ischaemic stroke.
                The Chinese Acute Stroke Trial (CAST) was a large randomised, placebo-controlled trial of the effects in hospital of aspirin treatment (160 mg/day) started within 48 h of the onset of suspected acute ischaemic stroke and continued in hospital for up to 4 weeks. The primary endpoints were death from any cause during the 4-week treatment period and death or dependence at discharge, and the analyses were by intention to treat. 21,106 patients with acute ischaemic stroke were enrolled in 413 Chinese hospitals at a mean of 25 h after the onset of symptoms (10,554 aspirin, 10,552 placebo). 87% had a CT scan before randomisation. It was prospectively planned that the results would be analysed in parallel with those of the concurrent. International Stroke Trial (IST) of 20,000 patients with acute stroke from other countries.
                There was a significant 14% (SD 7) proportional reduction in mortality during the scheduled treatment period (343 [3.3%] deaths among aspirin-allocated patients vs 398 [3.9%] deaths among placebo-allocated patients; 2p = 0.04). There were significantly fewer recurrent ischaemic strokes in the aspirin-allocated than in the placebo-allocated group (167 [1.6%] vs 215 [2.1%]; 2p = 0.01) but slightly more haemorrhagic strokes (115 [1.1%] vs 93 [0.9%]; 2p > 0.1). For the combined in-hospital endpoint of death or non-fatal stroke at 4 weeks, there was a 12% (6) proportional risk reduction with aspirin (545 [5.3%] vs 614 [5.9%]; 2p = 0.03), an absolute difference of 6.8 (3.2) fewer cases per 1000. At discharge, 3153 (30.5%) aspirin-allocated patients and 3266 (31.6%) placebo-allocated patients were dead or dependent, corresponding to 11.4 (6.4) fewer per 1000 in favour of aspirin (2p = 0.08).
                There are two major trials of aspirin in acute ischaemic stroke. Taken together, CAST and the similarly large IST show reliably that aspirin started early in hospital produces a small but definite net benefit, with about 9 (SD 3) fewer deaths or non-fatal strokes per 1000 in the first few weeks (2p = 0.001), and with 13 (5) fewer dead or dependent per 1000 after some weeks or months of follow-up (2p < 0.01).
The risk of bias in the included trials was moderate and the sample was small. Hence, although the data in this review show an effective treatment trend of edaravone for acute ischaemic stroke, further large, high-quality trials are required to confirm this trend.