Efficacy and Safety of Indobufen, Aspirin, Cilostazol and Clopidogrel in the Treatment of Ischemic Stroke

May 18, 2026 updated by: Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University

Efficacy and Safety of Indobufen, Aspirin, Cilostazol, and Clopidogrel in the Treatment of Ischemic Stroke: a Single-center, Retrospective Study

Through a single-center retrospective cohort study of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients receiving secondary prevention with indobufen, clopidogrel, cilostazol, or aspirin as monotherapy or dual therapy, we aim to compare the real-world effectiveness and safety of these four antiplatelet regimens. Through closely tracking the recurrence of stroke (including ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke) and bleeding events (GUSTO-defined) within one year of treatment, we evaluate the association between each antiplatelet agent and the risk of stroke recurrence, thereby providing critical evidence to guide individualized antiplatelet therapy in AIS patients.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

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

Stroke is the second leading cause of death and the third leading cause of disability worldwide, with a 5%-10% one-year recurrence rate after acute ischemic stroke (AIS), making effective secondary prevention critical. Indobufen, aspirin, clopidogrel, and cilostazol-as monotherapy or in combination-constitute the main antiplatelet strategies for secondary prevention of ischemic stroke. Guidelines recommend early clopidogrel-aspirin dual therapy for mild stroke or TIA, while aspirin remains standard for moderate-to-severe cases, though it carries gastrointestinal and bleeding risks. Clopidogrel may be resistant due to CYP2C19 loss-of-function alleles in Asian populations. Cilostazol may be suitable for patients with CYP2C19-deficiency but has an uncertain intracranial bleeding risk. Indobufen, a reversible COX inhibitor, offers lower bleeding risk and fewer gastrointestinal adverse effects, yet lacks large-scale head-to-head trials against the other agents. Thus, real-world evidence to guide optimal antiplatelet selection for diverse ischemic stroke patients is lacking. This study aims to compare the effectiveness and safety of these four agents (monotherapy or guideline-recommended dual therapy) for secondary prevention of ischemic stroke, providing hypothesis-generating evidence for future prospective research.

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.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

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.
2000

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • China
    • Guangdong
      • Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, 510515
        • Nanfang Hospital,Southern Medical University Recruiting

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

N/A

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population mainly includes patients who meet the diagnostic criteria for acute ischemic stroke (AIS), are aged over 18 years, hospitalized in the Department of Neurology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, between January 2020 and December 2025, received one of the following as a secondary prevention regimen within 7 days after discharge, and have follow-up records at 1 year after treatment initiation. Patients with long-term anticoagulant therapy at baseline, history of hemorrhagic stroke or active bleeding, or severe hepatic or renal dysfunction are excluded.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Age ≥ 18 years;
  2. Diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients according to the Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke 2018 ;
  3. Hospitalized in the Department of Neurology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, between January 2020 and December 2025;
  4. Received one of the following as a secondary prevention regimen within 7 days after discharge: indobufen, aspirin, clopidogrel, or cilostazol, either as monotherapy or as dual therapy;
  5. Have follow-up records at 1 year after treatment initiation.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Already having long-term anticoagulant therapy at baseline;
  2. History of hemorrhagic stroke or active bleeding;
  3. Severe hepatic or renal dysfunction (defined as AST/ALT > 3 times the upper limit of normal, or estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min/1.73m²), end-stage disease, intracranial tumor, or intracranial infection.

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

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
Incidence of composite events, including any new stroke or bleeding events
Time Frame: Within 1 year of treatment
Stroke includes any ischemic/hemorrhagic stroke. Bleeding events were defined in accordance with the Global Utilization Of Streptokinase And TPA For Occluded Arteries (GUSTO) definition for bleeding.
Within 1 year of treatment

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
Incidence of new cardiovascular events and death
Time Frame: Within 1 year
any stroke/ myocardial infarction/ cardiovascular death
Within 1 year
GUSTO-defined bleeding events of all grades
Time Frame: Within 1 year
GUSTO-defined bleeding events include intracranial hemorrhage, clinically significant gastrointestinal bleeding, and other specified types of bleeding.
Within 1 year
National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NHISS) score
Time Frame: Within 1 year of treatment
The NIHSS score is commonly used to assess the degree of neurological impairment in patients with acute stroke. The NIHSS consists of 11 items, with a total score ranging from 0 to 42. Each item has different scoring criteria, typically ranging from 0 (normal) to 4 (most severe)
Within 1 year of treatment
Modified Rankin Scale ( mRS ) score
Time Frame: Within 1 year of treatment
The MRS score is primarily used to measure the degree of disability and daily living ability of patients. The MRS score ranges from 0 to 6, with a total of 7 levels. The higher the score, the more severe the disability and the worse the prognosis.
Within 1 year of treatment
Barthel Index
Time Frame: Within 1 year of treatment
The Barthel Index is a standardized scale widely used to assess patients' activities of daily living (ADL), covering ten basic functional items including feeding, bathing, dressing, toileting, bowel and bladder control, bed-to-chair transfer, walking, and stair climbing. Total scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater independence and better self-care ability. In stroke research, the Barthel Index is commonly used to evaluate neurological recovery and long-term functional outcomes.
Within 1 year of treatment
Drug-related adverse events
Time Frame: Within 1 year of treatment
Drug-related adverse events include gastrointestinal discomfort, rash, abnormal liver function, etc.
Within 1 year of treatment

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.
Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University

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 (Estimated)

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.
July 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
January 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
June 1, 2027

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).
May 18, 2026

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.
May 18, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

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.
May 22, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

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.
May 22, 2026

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.
May 18, 2026

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.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • NFEC-2026-179

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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