Gut bacteria fix may boost heart drug power
NCT ID NCT07203846
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a short course of the antibiotic rifaximin can improve how well the blood thinner ticagrelor works in people who have had a heart attack. The idea is that unhealthy gut bacteria may interfere with the drug, and clearing them out could help prevent future clots. The trial will enroll 50 adults who are already taking ticagrelor and have high platelet reactivity, meaning their blood is still too sticky.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- rifaximin (an antibiotic)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a way to make standard blood thinners work better for heart attack survivors by adjusting gut bacteria.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 50 people. The antibiotic may not improve blood thinning, or could cause side effects like stomach upset or antibiotic resistance.
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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Phase 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
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About 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jan 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jun 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: * Between 18 and 80 years of age * History of acute coronary syndrome no sooner than 1 month and no later than 12 months prior to study inclusion * Current treatment with ticagrelor (90 mg orally twice a day) * High platelet reactivity assessed with multiple electrode aggregometry method (AUC of \>46 U) * Provision of informed consent prior to any study procedures Exclusion criteria: * History of hypersensitivity to rifaximin or other rifamycin-derived agent * Ongoing treatment with rifamycins * Platelet count \< 100×10\^9/L or \> 450×10\^9/L * Treatment with antibiotics, probiotics, or glucocorticoids within 3 months prior to study inclusion * History of gastrointestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, bowel obstruction, or gastrointestinal tumor * Infection, including gastrointestinal infection, within a month prior to study inclusion * History of Clostridium difficile infection * Current use of specific medications (warfarin, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, immunosuppressants, bile acid sequestrants, antidiarrheal agents) * Impaired liver function classified as Child-Pugh class B or C * Hemodynamic instability * Pregnancy or breastfeeding * Patients considered by the investigator to be uncooperative
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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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Cardiology Department, Dr. A. Jurasz University Hospital
Bydgoszcz, Cuiavian-Pomeranian, 85-094, Poland
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Gut bacteria in a capsule: a new attempt to calm a brain complication of cirrhosis
- Can a spoonful of agave fiber rewire an Athlete's gut?
- Every minute counts: study tracks how delays shape heart attack survival
- The heart rhythm threat hiding in heart attack wards
- Heart pump timing put to the test in deadly heart attack shock