Ginkgo Biloba Prevention Trial in Older Individuals

March 11, 2013 updated by: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
This study will determine the effect of 240mg/day Ginkgo biloba in decreasing the incidence of dementia and specifically Alzheimer's disease (AD), slowing cognitive decline and functional disability, reducing incidence of cardiovascular disease, and decreasing total mortality.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Participants will be studied in a randomized trial of 240 mg of Ginkgo biloba as compared to placebo in healthy men and women, at least 75 years old. The trial will last approximately 8 years. The intervention will be considered unsuccessful in those participants who succumb to dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease and vascular dementia. There are four clinical centers: Pittsburgh, PA; Hagerstown, MD; Winston-Salem, NC; and Sacramento, CA; and a Coordinating Center at the University of Washington, Seattle. There will be a clinic visit every 6 months to determine morbidity, mortality and change in cognition that will include repeat of ADAS, CDR, and 10 battery neuropsychological evaluation and informant interview. The primary endpoint is dementia, specifically Alzheimer's disease, secondary endpoint will include the incidence of vascular disease, changes in cognitive function scores over time, total mortality and changes in functional status. The diagnosis of dementia will be based on neuropsychological testing, neurological exam, MRI, functional measurements, and review by a central adjudication committee and classified by DSM IV, NINCDS criteria and ADRTC criteria for vascular disease.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
3069

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • Sacramento, California, United States, 95817
        • University of California, Davis
    • Maryland
      • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21205
        • Johns Hopkins University
    • North Carolina
      • Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, 27157-1063
        • Wake Forest University School of Medicine
    • Pennsylvania
      • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
        • University of Pittsburgh
    • Virginia
      • Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, 22908
        • University of Pittsburgh/University of Virginia

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

75 years and older (OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Non-demented participants
  • Willing to participate in a seven-year follow-up trial of Ginkgo Biloba
  • English is their usual language
  • Willing informant who has frequent contact with the participant

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Currently on anticoagulant therapy
  • Cancer diagnosed and treated within the past two years (except for skin cancer)
  • Participant with class III - IV congestive heart failure
  • Currently being treated with psychopharmacological drugs for depression
  • Hospitalized for depression within the last year
  • Taking Aricept (or similar agents) for cognitive problems or dementia
  • Baseline blood creatinine >2
  • Baseline SGGT is a marker of liver function (3 x normal>or=90 IU)
  • Baseline hematocrit<30
  • Baseline white blood count>or=15,000

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: PREVENTION
  • Allocation: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: DOUBLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
PLACEBO_COMPARATOR: Placebo
Placebo 1 pill twice a day
Drug: Placebo
One pill twice daily
Other Names:
  • Identical appearance as Ginkgo biloba pill
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo biloba EGb761 120 mg twice daily
Drug: Ginkgo biloba
120mg twice a day
Other Names:
  • EGb761

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of Participants With Incident Dementia
Time Frame: Brief neuropsychological testing every 6 months, detailed testing annually, average 6.1 years follow up
All cause dementia based on DSM-IV criteria as determined by an expert panel of clinicians using an adjudication process. A full neuropsychological battery was administered annually, or at 6 month visit if there was a diagnosis of dementia or initiation of medication for dementia by private physician, or change in Modified Mini Mental State Exam (3MSE), Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), or Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-Cog). Decline on tests scores based on an algorithm resulted in a neurological exam and brain imaging. These data were used in the adjudication process.
Brief neuropsychological testing every 6 months, detailed testing annually, average 6.1 years follow up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of Participants With the Indicated Cardiovascular Disease or Mortality
Time Frame: 6 months
Myocardial infarction (MI), angina, stroke (CVA), transient ischemic attack (TIA), combined coronary heart disease (CHD) (MI/angina), combined cerebrovascular (CVA/TIA), peripheral vascular disease, and mortality
6 months
Progression of Cognitive Decline in Standardized Z-score Scale. Higher Z-scores Indicate Worse Performance.
Time Frame: 6 months/annually
Rate of annual change by cognitive domain in standardized Z-score scale. Higher Z-scores indicate worse performance. Best score = -2.0 Z-score change per year (improvement); worse score = 2.0 Z-score change per year (decline).
6 months/annually

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Steven T. DeKosky, M.D., University of Pittsburgh, Department of Neurology

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 1, 2000

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 1, 2008

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 2, 2001

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 2, 2001

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 5, 2001

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 14, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 11, 2013

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • U01 AT000162-01M

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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