ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT07509645IRIS-3Updated Nov 3, 2026

Efficacy and Safety of Interleukin-6 Receptor Inhibitor Combined With Endovascular Treatment in Patients With Acute Posterior Circulation Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke

A Phase 3 interventional study of Tocilizumab and Placebo in Ischemic Stroke, sponsored by Capital Medical University. Recruiting at 30 sites in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-03.

Sponsored by Capital Medical University · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Apr 2026; still recruiting 6 months later.
Updated Nov 3, 2026Site recruiting status changed17 sites addedGo to Updates ↓
Phase
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
348
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This is an investigator-initiated phase III clinical trial employing a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the efficacy and safety of an interleukin-6 inhibitor (tocilizumab) combined with endovascular therapy in patients with acute posterior circulation large-vessel occlusion stroke.

Read the detailed description

This is an investigator-initiated, prospective, multicenter phase III clinical trial. This trial aims to investigate whether tocilizumab could further improve prognosis for patients with acute posterior circulation large-vessel occlusion stroke receiving endovascular therapy.

02

Conditions studied

  • Ischemic Stroke

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Keywords

  • large vessel occlusion
  • endovascular treatment
  • posterior circulation
  • interleukin-6 inhibitor
  • neuroprotection
03

In context

Ischemic Stroke

2,612 studies on the registry are indexed under Ischemic Stroke; 971 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 348 is above the median of 120 across 1,776 interventional studies indexed under Ischemic Stroke.

Browse Ischemic Stroke studies →

Lead sponsor

Capital Medical University is the lead sponsor of 295 studies on the registry; 91 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  1. Age 18 years or older, of either sex;
  2. Acute ischemic stroke caused by occlusion of the basilar artery;
  3. Decide to undergo emergency endovascular treatment;
  4. Time from stroke onset to groin puncture within 24 hours;
  5. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) ≥ 10;
  6. Posterior circulation Alberta Stroke Program Early computed tomography score (pc-ASPECTS) ≥ 6;
  7. Signed from the patients or the legally authorized representatives.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Intracerebral hemorrhage, epidural hematoma, subdural hematoma, intraventricular hemorrhage, or subarachnoid hemorrhage;
  2. Pre-stroke modified Rankin scale (mRS) score >1;
  3. Known allergy to tocilizumab or ;
  4. Known allergy to iodinated contrast agents;
  5. Anticipated difficulty in completing endovascular treatment due to vascular tortuosity;
  6. History of congenital or acquired bleeding disorders, coagulation factor deficiency diseases, or thrombocytopenic diseases;
  7. Systolic blood pressure ≥180 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥110 mmHg despite blood pressure control;
  8. Neutrophils \< 2 × 10\^9 /L;
  9. \< 100 × 10\^9 /L;
  10. Blood glucose \<2.8 mmol/L (50 mg/dL) or >22.2 mmol/L (400 mg/dL);
  11. Serum (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels >2 times the ;
  12. Known recent or current serum creatinine >2 times the upper limit of normal or estimated (eGFR) \<60 mL/min;
  13. Pregnant, lactating, or planning pregnancy within 90 days;
  14. Severe mental disorders or inability to comply with and follow-up requirements due to dementia;
  15. Concurrent malignant tumors or severe systemic diseases with expected survival of less than 90 days;
  16. Presence of diseases or use of drugs;
  17. Systemic infectious diseases;
  18. Participation in another interventional clinical study within 30 days before randomization or currently participating in another interventional clinical study;
  19. Any circumstance that, as assessed by the investigators, might result in harm to the patients if study therapy is initiated;
  20. Other conditions that the investigator considers might affect compliance or preclude participation in this study.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(8)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Excipients

The other ingredients in a medicine besides the active drug, such as fillers, colours or preservatives.

Platelets

Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.

ALT and AST (liver enzymes)

Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.

Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.

ULN (upper limit of normal)

The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.

“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.

GFR and eGFR (kidney filtering)

GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².

Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.

Autoimmune disease

A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.

Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.

Immunosuppression

A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.

Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
348 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Tocilizumab

    Endovascular treatment combined with a 240mg tocilizumab injection once

    Drug: Tocilizumab

  • Placebo comparator
    Placebo

    Endovascular treatment combined with placebo

    Drug: Placebo

Interventions

  • 240 mg of tocilizumab injection will be diluted in 0.9% NaCl to a total volume of 100 mL. The solution will be administered via intravenous infusion immediately after randomization and no later than 30 minutes, with an infusion duration of more than 1 hour.

  • DrugPlacebo

    An equivalent volume of placebo will be diluted in 0.9% NaCl to a total volume of 100 mL. The solution will be administered via intravenous infusion immediately after randomization and no later than 30 minutes, with an infusion duration of more than 1 hour.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Proportion of patients with a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0-3 at 90 days.

    The mRS ranges from 0 to 6, with higher scores indicating worse outcomes.

    Time frame: 90 days

Secondary outcomes

  1. mRS score distribution

    The mRS ranges from 0 to 6, with higher scores indicating worse outcomes.

    Time frame: 90 days and 1 year

  2. Early neurological improvement at 24 hours

    Defined as a reduction in NIHSS score of at least 8 points from baseline or a score of 0 to 2

    Time frame: 24 hours

  3. NIHSS score at 7 days or at early discharge

    The NIHSS ranges from 0 to 42, with higher scores indicating worse outcomes

    Time frame: 7 days

  4. Proportion of patients with mRS score 0-1

    The mRS ranges from 0 to 6, with higher scores indicating worse outcomes.

    Time frame: 90 days and 1 year

  5. Proportion of patients with mRS score 0-2

    The mRS ranges from 0 to 6, with higher scores indicating worse outcomes.

    Time frame: 90 days and 1 year

  6. Proportion of patients with mRS score 0-4

    The mRS ranges from 0 to 6, with higher scores indicating worse outcomes.

    Time frame: 90 days and 1 year

  7. EQ-5D-5L

    The EQ-5D-5L comprises the same five dimensions: MOBILITY, SELF-CARE, USUAL ACTIVITIES, PAIN / DISCOMFORT and ANXIETY / DEPRESSION, each dimension has five response levels: no problems, slight problems, moderate problems, severe problems, unable to/extreme problems.

    Time frame: 90 days and 1 year

  8. Proportion of Barthel Index (BI) 95-100

    Time frame: 90 days and 1 year

Other outcomes

  1. Incidence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage within 24 hours

    Time frame: 24 hours

  2. Incidence of any intracranial hemorrhage within 24 hours

    Time frame: 24 hours

  3. Proportion of patients with pneumonia at 7 days or at early discharge

    Time frame: 7 days

  4. Mortality

    Time frame: 90 days and 1 year

  5. Proportion of patients with a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0-3

    The mRS ranges from 0 to 6, with higher scores indicating worse outcomes.

    Time frame: 1 year

07

Study locations

29 of 30 sites recruiting
  • Suixi County Hospital
    Huaibei, Anhui 235100, China
    Recruiting
    • Jianqiao Li · Contact
  • Suzhou Municipal Hospital
    Suzhou, Anhui 234000, China
    Recruiting
    • Zhengfei Ma · Contact
  • Heyuan People's Hospital
    Heyuan, Guangdong 517000, China
    Recruiting
    • Guanghong Zhong · Contact
  • Huazhou People's Hospital
    Maoming, Guangdong 525100, China
    Recruiting
    • Yanbo Huang · Contact
  • Qinhuangdao Second People's Hospital
    Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066000, China
    Recruiting
  • Tangshan Gongren Hospital
    Tangshan, Hebei 063000, China
    Recruiting
    • Jing Liu · Contact
  • Yutian County Hospital
    Tangshan, Hebei 064100, China
    Recruiting
    • Haijun Li · Contact
  • Anyang People's Hospital
    Anyang, Henan 455000, China
    Recruiting
    • Jiangang Zhang · Contact
  • Junxian People's Hospital
    Hebi, Henan 456250, China
    Recruiting
    • Beibei Jiang · Contact
  • Luoyang Central Hospital
    Luoyang, Henan 471000, China
    Recruiting
    • Wenbo Li · Contact
  • Nanyang Central Hospital
    Nanyang, Henan 473000, China
    Recruiting
    • Yifeng Liu · Contact
  • Puyang Oiled General Hospital
    Puyang, Henan 457000, China
    Recruiting
    • Yutie Zhao · Contact
  • Shangqiu First People's Hospital
    Shangqiu, Henan 476000, China
    Recruiting
    • Quande Dai · Contact
  • Ningling County Hospital
    Shangqiu, Henan 476700, China
    Recruiting
    • Xiaoyin Liu · Contact
  • The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan Medical University
    Xinxiang, Henan 453000, China
    Recruiting
    • Hongkai Cui · Contact
  • Shenqiu County Hospital
    Zhoukou, Henan 466300, China
    Recruiting
    • Yanling Li · Contact
  • People's Hospital of Xihua
    Zhoukou, Henan 466600, China
    Recruiting
    • Chaoqun Li · Contact
  • Xiangyang First People's Hospital
    Xiangyang, Hubei 441000, China
    Not yet recruiting
    • Xiaolong Li · Contact
  • Liuyang Jili Hospital
    Guankou, Hunan 410300, China
    Recruiting
    • Yuzhang Bei · Contact
  • Yancheng First People's Hospital
    Yancheng, Jiangsu 224000, China
    Recruiting
    • Xiaofeng Qu · Contact
  • People's Hospital of Linyi
    Linyi, Shandong 276000, China
    Recruiting
    • Hao Wang · Contact
  • Zibo Central Hospital
    Zibo, Shandong 255000, China
    Recruiting
    • Liangjie Wang · Contact
  • Xianyang First People's Hospital
    Xianyang, Shanxi 712000, China
    Recruiting
    • Xingyun Yuan · Contact
  • Yuncheng Central Hospital
    Yuncheng, Shanxi 044000, China
    Recruiting
    • Bin Wang · Contact
  • Jiaxing First People's Hospital
    Jiaxing, Zhejiang 314000, China
    Recruiting
    • Junjie Xu · Contact
  • Lishui Central Hospital
    Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, China
    Recruiting
    • Xiao Peng · Contact
  • Taizhou enze Hospital
    Taizhou, Zhejiang 318000, China
    Recruiting
    • Shaoqing Jiang · Contact
  • Wenzhou People's Hospital
    Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, China
    Recruiting
    • Cheng Zhang · Contact
  • People's Hospital of Yueqing
    Yueqing, Zhejiang 325600, China
    Recruiting
    • Saizhen Wu · Contact
  • Capital Medical Univercity Xuanwu Hospital
    Beijing, 100053, China
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — Related data will be shared if full study protocol and statistical analysis plan are provided with reasonable design.

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

2 registry updates since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Started Apr 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Apr 2027, 11 months after the start.

Of 143 non-industry phase 3 interventional studies under Ischemic Stroke, half reached primary completion within 32 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 20 and three quarters within 62. This study's planned 11 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 165 studies reached it within 30 months; a quarter within 19 and three quarters within 52.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Mar 27, 2026
First posted
Apr 3, 2026
StartActual
Apr 22, 2026
Primary completionEst.
Apr 20, 2027
CompletionEst.
Apr 20, 2027
Last update
Nov 3, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
Sites
17 sites added. 5 sites changed recruiting status (5 now recruiting)
Show 5 sites
  • Heyuan People's Hospital · Heyuan, ChinaNot yet recruiting→Recruiting
  • Yutian County Hospital · Tangshan, ChinaNot yet recruiting→Recruiting
  • Luoyang Central Hospital · Luoyang, ChinaNot yet recruiting→Recruiting
  • Yancheng First People's Hospital · Yancheng, ChinaNot yet recruiting→Recruiting
  • Wenzhou People's Hospital · Wenzhou, ChinaNot yet recruiting→Recruiting
Show 17 added (17 China)
  • Suixi County Hospital · Huaibei, China
  • Heyuan People's Hospital · Heyuan, China
  • Huazhou People's Hospital · Maoming, China
  • Qinhuangdao Second People's Hospital · Qinhuangdao, China
  • Tangshan Gongren Hospital · Tangshan, China
  • Yutian County Hospital · Tangshan, China
  • Junxian People's Hospital · Hebi, China
  • Luoyang Central Hospital · Luoyang, China
  • Puyang Oiled General Hospital · Puyang, China
  • Shangqiu First People's Hospital · Shangqiu, China
  • Ningling County Hospital · Shangqiu, China
  • Shenqiu County Hospital · Zhoukou, China
  • Xiangyang First People's Hospital · Xiangyang, China
  • Liuyang Jili Hospital · Guankou, China
  • Yancheng First People's Hospital · Yancheng, China
  • Jiaxing First People's Hospital · Jiaxing, China
  • Wenzhou People's Hospital · Wenzhou, China
across 2 updates, Oct 13, 2026 – Nov 3, 2026
Show all 2 updates
  1. Nov 3, 2026
    5 sites changed recruiting status (5 now recruiting)
    Show 5 sites
    • Heyuan People's Hospital · Heyuan, ChinaNot yet recruiting→Recruiting
    • Yutian County Hospital · Tangshan, ChinaNot yet recruiting→Recruiting
    • Luoyang Central Hospital · Luoyang, ChinaNot yet recruiting→Recruiting
    • Yancheng First People's Hospital · Yancheng, ChinaNot yet recruiting→Recruiting
    • Wenzhou People's Hospital · Wenzhou, ChinaNot yet recruiting→Recruiting
  2. Oct 13, 2026
    17 sites added
    Show 17 added (17 China)
    • Suixi County Hospital · Huaibei, China
    • Heyuan People's Hospital · Heyuan, China
    • Huazhou People's Hospital · Maoming, China
    • Qinhuangdao Second People's Hospital · Qinhuangdao, China
    • Tangshan Gongren Hospital · Tangshan, China
    • Yutian County Hospital · Tangshan, China
    • Junxian People's Hospital · Hebi, China
    • Luoyang Central Hospital · Luoyang, China
    • Puyang Oiled General Hospital · Puyang, China
    • Shangqiu First People's Hospital · Shangqiu, China
    • Ningling County Hospital · Shangqiu, China
    • Shenqiu County Hospital · Zhoukou, China
    • Xiangyang First People's Hospital · Xiangyang, China
    • Liuyang Jili Hospital · Guankou, China
    • Yancheng First People's Hospital · Yancheng, China
    • Jiaxing First People's Hospital · Jiaxing, China
    • Wenzhou People's Hospital · Wenzhou, China

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07509645
Responsible party
Ji Xunming,MD,PhD (Professor of Neurology, Capital Medical University Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Apr 3, 2026
Start date
Apr 22, 2026
Primary completion
Apr 20, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Apr 20, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Nov 3, 2026

Study contacts

Xunming Ji
Contact
jixm@ccmu.edu.cn
01083198962
Chuanjie Wu
Contact
wuchuanjie@ccmu.edu.cn
01083199439

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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Studies of the drug tested here: Tocilizumab

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