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Clinical Trial Summary

To test the efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in relieving symptoms and change of quality of life of patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.


Clinical Trial Description

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), characterized by abdominal pain/discomfort and disturbed bowel frequency, is a common functional bowel disorder that accounts for a substantial proportion of patients seen in primary care and secondary referral centers. The impact on patients' quality of life and the economic burden on the community are considerable. However, the outcome of conventional Western medicine in treating IBS has been disappointing. Several potential new therapeutic agents have been withdrawn because of serious adverse events. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used in the treatment of IBS for centuries in Asian countries but scientific evaluation of its therapeutic function is scarce. A methodologically strong trial of a 20-herb formula has shown significant benefit for IBS patients. However, the herbal formulation was inadequately characterized and defined for repeated clinical studies.

Subsequent to complete chemical characterization, a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, phase II dose-escalation clinical trial will be conducted to find an optimally safe and efficacious dosage of this standardized 20-herb preparation in 104 patients aged 18 to 75 with all types of IBS. At each of two dosage levels, 52 participants will be randomized to treatment for 8 weeks with the herbal formula or placebo in a 1:1 allocation ratio, and will be assessed at baseline, weeks 0, 2, 4, 8, and 12 for the clinically important and reliable outcome of patient reported global symptom improvement. At the conclusion of the 1st dosage level, safety will be assessed prior to using the higher dosage in a new cohort of participants. We also will assess individual IBS symptoms, nature, severity, duration, and frequency of adverse events, quality of life, concurrent IBS medications and health care utilization, and will perform blood tests for safety purposes. Adherence to study medication will be verified by dose counts. Results of this dose-ranging study will help to identify the optimal dosage of the herbal formula to be used in future randomized placebo-controlled trials and in head-to-head comparisons with conventional pharmaceuticals. ;


Study Design


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT00676975
Study type Interventional
Source Chinese University of Hong Kong
Contact
Status Completed
Phase Phase 2
Start date May 26, 2008
Completion date August 30, 2011

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