Safety and efficacy of glibenclamide combined with rtPA in acute cerebral ischemia with occlusion/stenosis of anterior circulation (SE-GRACE): a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Glibenclamide alleviates brain edema and improves neurological outcomes in experimental models of stroke. We aimed to assess whether glibenclamide improves functional outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA).

Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, patients with acute ischemic stroke were recruited to eight academic hospitals in China. Patients were eligible if they were aged 18-74 years, presented with a symptomatic anterior circulation occlusion with a deficit on the NIHSS of 4-25, and had been treated with rtPA within 4.5 h of symptom onset. We used web-based randomization (1:1) to allocate eligible participants to the glibenclamide or placebo group, stratified according to endovascular treatment and baseline stroke severity. Glibenclamide or placebo was taken orally or via tube feeding at a loading dose of 1.25 mg within 10 h after symptom onset, followed by 0.625 mg every 8 h for 5 days. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with good outcomes (modified Rankin Scale of 0-2) at 90 days, assessed in all randomly assigned patients who had been correctly diagnosed and had begun study medication. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03284463, and is closed to new participants.

Findings: Between January 1, 2018, and May 28, 2022, 305 patients were randomly assigned, of whom 272 (142 received glibenclamide and 130 received placebo) were included in the primary efficacy analysis. 103 (73%) patients in the glibenclamide group and 94 (72%) in the placebo group had a good outcome (adjusted risk difference 0.002, 95% CI -0.098 to 0.103; p = 0.96). 12 (8%) patients allocated to glibenclamide and seven (5%) patients allocated to placebo died from any cause at 90 days (p = 0.35). The number and type of adverse events were similar between the two groups. There were no drug-related adverse events and no drug-related deaths.

Interpretation: The addition of glibenclamide to thrombolytic therapy did not increase the proportion of patients who achieved good outcomes after stroke compared with placebo, but it did not lead to any safety concerns.

Funding: Southern Medical University and Nanfang Hospital.