Ancient herbs take on superbug pneumonia in new clinical trial
NCT ID NCT07206745
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jul 10, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests whether adding a traditional Chinese medicine formula, Feireqing Granules, to standard care can improve survival in people with severe pneumonia caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. The trial will enroll 152 adults and measure death rates at 14 and 28 days, along with other recovery markers. It is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, meaning neither patients nor doctors will know who gets the real herb mixture.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Feireqing Granules (a traditional Chinese medicine blend of herbs like Scutellaria baicalensis, Trichosanthes kirilowii, Forsythia suspensa, and Fritillaria thunbergii)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a new, add-on treatment option for severe pneumonia that is resistant to many antibiotics, potentially reducing deaths.
- What could go wrong
- This is a relatively small, early-stage trial (152 participants) and the results may not apply to all patients. The herbal mixture is not a proven cure, and its benefits over standard care alone remain uncertain.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 152 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Meeting the diagnostic criteria for severe pneumonia, aged ≥18 years and \<80 years; * Microbiological culture confirming Gram-negative bacterial infection resistant to three or more classes of antibiotics, such as extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB), and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDR-PA); * Written informed consent obtained from the patient or their legal representative. Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant or breastfeeding women; * Patients with impaired consciousness, dementia, psychiatric disorders, or other conditions that preclude effective communication and cooperation; * Patients with aspiration pneumonia, fungal pneumonia, viral pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, or HIV-associated Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia; * Patients with severe hepatic or renal insufficiency, such as liver cirrhosis with Child-Pugh score of 10-15, or estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) \<30 mL/min/1.73 m²; * Patients with hematologic malignancies, solid organ transplantation, or congenital/acquired diseases leading to immunodeficiency; * Patients with multidrug-resistant bacterial infections outside the lung (e.g., urinary tract, abdominal cavity, bloodstream); * Patients with severe cardiac dysfunction (NYHA class IV), malignant arrhythmias, or other hemodynamically unstable conditions; * Patients who have already received antimicrobial therapy for more than one week; * Patients who have participated in another drug clinical trial within one month prior to enrollment; * Patients with known allergy to the investigational drug.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
RECRUITINGZhengzhou, Henan, 450000, China