APEX-STROKE Adaptive Platform Trial for Stroke

August 22, 2026 updated by: Fudan University

Integrated Adaptive Platform for EXcellent Clinical Trials in STROKE (APEX-STROKE): A Multi-factorial, Multi-arm, Multi-stage, Randomized, Adaptive Platform Trial

Stroke remains one of the leading causes of death and disability, worldwide. Despite advances in stroke management, only a limited number of acute treatments-including thrombolysis, endovascular thrombectomy, hemicraniectomy, stroke unit care, and aspirin-have demonstrated clear benefit, highlighting the need for widely applicable interventions that improve outcomes. Although randomized controlled trials remain the most reliable method for evaluating treatment efficacy, conventional designs typically assess a single intervention under fixed assumptions and are often costly, resource-intensive, and time-consuming. Platform trials offer a more efficient alternative by enabling the simultaneous evaluation of multiple interventions and the ongoing addition or removal of treatment arms, thereby providing a promising approach to accelerate the identification of effective therapies and transform stroke clinical research. The overarching objective of APEX-STROKE is to identify the treatment/s associated with the highest chance of improving relevant patient outcomes in stroke.

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 a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. According to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 Study, there were 11.9 million incident strokes, 93.8 million stroke survivors, and 7.3 million stroke-related deaths globally in 2021, making stroke the third leading cause of death after ischemic heart disease and COVID-19. Global disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributable to stroke rose from 121.4 million in 1990 to 160.5 million in 2021, with more than three-quarters of this burden borne by low- and middle-income countries.

Despite this burden, only a small number of acute stroke treatments have been proven effective, including thrombolysis, endovascular thrombectomy, hemicraniectomy, stroke unit care, and aspirin. Conventional randomized controlled trials test a single intervention under fixed assumptions and are often costly, resource-intensive, and slow. Adaptive platform trials (APTs) allow multiple interventions to be evaluated simultaneously within shared infrastructure, with interventions added or removed over time, offering greater efficiency than conventional designs.

APEX-STROKE is an investigator-initiated, multi-factorial, multi-arm, multi-stage, randomized, adaptive platform trial designed to identify the treatment(s) associated with the highest chance of improving patient outcomes in stroke. The platform is structured hierarchically: a Master Protocol establishes trial-wide processes, governance, and general statistical principles common to all domains; each disease State is further defined in a State Subprotocol; and each treatment Domain within a State is defined in a Domain-Specific Appendix (DSA). Full eligibility, interventions, and outcome measures for each active domain are specified in the respective DSA.

Depending on the domain, the statistical framework may be frequentist, Bayesian, or another appropriate approach, as specified in the relevant Statistical Analysis Appendix. Where pre-specified, adaptive analyses assess whether an intervention is superior, inferior, equivalent, or futile within a domain or in specific populations, and information may be "borrowed" across strata where justified. Where interactions between interventions in different domains are considered plausible, the statistical models may evaluate such interactions. Response Adaptive Randomization (RAR) may be used, where pre-specified, to adjust allocation probabilities as data accrue. Specific interventions, subgroups, or domains may be stopped, modified, or closed to enrollment based on pre-specified decision rules reviewed by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board.

Unlike trial designs that prohibit co-enrollment, the platform design permits assessment of synergy, competitive interference, and safety of combined treatment strategies across domains, subject to pre-specified eligibility, randomization, and analysis rules. The intention-to-treat principle will be used for all primary and adaptive analyses unless otherwise specified at domain level.

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 (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.
20000

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

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

No

Description

Platform Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥18 years
  • Clinical diagnosis of stroke

Platform Exclusion Criteria

- There are no platform level exclusion criteria

Each state and domain will specify additional inclusion and exclusion criteria in the respective Domain-Specific Registration. Patients who fulfill the overall platform criteria will be assessed for enrollment into each active domain.

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

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.
Experimental: Angong Niuhuang Pill domain
This domain has a prospective, randomized, controlled, open-label, parallel group with blinded endpoint assessment (PROBE) design to determine the efficacy and safety of Angong Niuhuang Pills in participants with acute ischemic stroke whose symptom onset is within 6 hours.
Drug: Early Angong Niuhuang Pill Treatment
Participants randomized into the intervention arm receive Angong Niuhuang Pills (ANP, 3 g/pill). The initial dose is given orally for awake patients or via route-specific methods for unconscious patients: if randomized in the ambulance, a 15 mL suspension is administered sublingually (2-2.5 mL every 10 min) with the remainder via nasogastric tube (NGT) post-admission; if randomized in the ED, the suspension is given directly via NGT when indicated. Maintenance dosing follows: one pill twice daily in week 1 and once daily in week 2 (14 days total). Suspensions are prepared by grinding one shelled pill with 15 mL room-temperature saline and must be used within 1 hour.
Experimental: EAGLE domian
This domain has a prospective, randomized, controlled, open-label, parallel group with blinded endpoint assessment (PROBE) design to determine the efficacy of surgical bundles in participants with acute ischemic stroke whose symptom onset is within 8 hours.
Procedure: Surgical bundle

Early minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is initiated within 8 hours after symptom onset; intensive systolic blood pressure control targeting 130-140 mmHg is achieved within 1 hour post-randomisation and sustained for 7 consecutive days; tranexamic acid (TXA) haemostatic therapy: 1g loading dose infused over 10 minutes, followed by 1g maintenance dose given via 8-hour intravenous infusion, started within 30 minutes after random allocation

• Standard guideline routine care only: All patient management is determined per local institutional ICH guidelines; elective MIS is prohibited within 12 hours of symptom onset except for emergency life-saving surgery; no mandatory intensive blood pressure management or routine TXA administration is permitted
Experimental: CHAIN-2 domain
This study employs a multicenter, prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial design to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Yiqi Huayu Jiedu Mixture (composed of Red Ginseng, Notoginseng, and Raw Rhubarb) in participants with acute supratentorial hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (HICH) who are not undergoing surgical intervention, targeting the core syndrome pattern of "deficiency-stasis-toxin" in the acute phase.
Drug: Yiqi Huayu Jiedu Mixture
Yiqi Huayu Jiedu Mixture is a standardized traditional Chinese medicine oral liquid formulated based on the "benefiting qi, resolving stasis, and detoxifying" therapeutic principle for acute supratentorial hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (HICH). Each 100 mL bottle contains Red Ginseng (30 g), Notoginseng (30 g), and Raw Rhubarb (5 g), prepared under GMP standards at Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine. Administration begins within 48 hours of symptom onset for a total duration of 28 days. For patients able to take oral medication: 33 mL three times daily, taken at least 30 minutes after meals (total 100 mL/day). For patients with dysphagia, insufficient oral intake, unconsciousness, or critical illness: 25 mL via nasogastric tube four times daily (every 6 hours). The formulation aims to restore vital qi, promote blood circulation without damaging healthy qi, and eliminate pathological toxins to facilitate neurological recovery in non-surgical HICH patients.

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
Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score
Time Frame: Platform level time frame:180 days in Intracerebral Hemorrhage State; 90 days for Ischemic Stroke State. Specific time frame will be included in domain-specific registration.
The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) is a 7-level ordered categorical scale (range: 0-6) assessing levels of disability and death after stroke, where higher scores indicate worse outcome (0 = no symptoms; 6 = death). It is not intended for use as a measure of historical functional status. It is well accepted as a standard outcome around the world in the stroke community, by patients and by regulatory authorities.
Platform level time frame:180 days in Intracerebral Hemorrhage State; 90 days for Ischemic Stroke State. Specific time frame will be included in domain-specific registration.

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
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.
180 days
NIHSS score
Time Frame: 24 hours and Day 7
National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score. The NIHSS is a 15-item neurological examination scale used to quantify stroke severity, ranging from 0 (no stroke symptoms) to 42 (severe stroke), with higher scores indicating worse outcome.
24 hours and Day 7
Death or major disability
Time Frame: 180 days
Participants achieved death or major disability if they scored 3-6 on the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), a scale ranging from 0 (no symptoms) to 6 (death), with higher scores indicating worse outcome.
180 days
Health-Related Quality of Life
Time Frame: Platform level time frame: 180 days in Intracerebral Hemorrhage State; 90 days in Ischemic Stroke State. Domain specific time frame may differ (details will be included in domain-specific registration)
Health Related Quality of Life based on EuroQol 5 Dimension 5 Level (EQ-5D-5L).The EQ-5D-5L is a generic instrument for describing and valuing health. It is based on a descriptive system that defines health in terms of five dimensions: Mobility, Self-Care, Usual Activities, Pain/Discomfort, and Anxiety/Depression. Each dimension has five response categories corresponding to: no problems, slight, moderate, severe and extreme problems.
Platform level time frame: 180 days in Intracerebral Hemorrhage State; 90 days in Ischemic Stroke State. Domain specific time frame may differ (details will be included in domain-specific registration)

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.
Fudan University

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

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.
September 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.
June 30, 2029

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.
February 28, 2030

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).
July 20, 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.
August 22, 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.
August 25, 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.
August 25, 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.
August 22, 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.
August 1, 2026

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.
  • APEX-STROKE

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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