Can a thyroid hormone rebuild failing hearts?
NCT ID NCT05384847
First seen Aug 04, 2026 · Last updated Aug 05, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial asks whether giving the thyroid hormone T3 to people with ischemic heart failure is safe and can improve heart function. Participants with reduced pumping ability will receive oral T3 twice daily for five days under medical supervision, with follow-up over a year. A control group receives standard care without the drug. The study tracks heart rhythm, symptoms, and measures like ejection fraction and walking distance to see if T3 offers benefit.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Thyroid hormone T3 (triiodothyronine)
- What this could lead to
- If T3 proves safe and improves heart function, it could become a new treatment for ischemic heart failure.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early-phase trial, so results may not hold up in larger studies. T3 can affect heart rhythm, so safety is a key concern.
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
-
Phase 1
The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.
- Participants
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14 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Dec 2022
- Finished
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Oct 2025
- Lead sponsor
-
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
-
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: * Aged 18-80 years, male or female; * Confirmed diagnosis of ischemic HF with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 40% (measured by echocardiography within 1 month of Screening); * Stable symptoms; NYHA class II-III without recent admission (1 month) for acute decompensation; * Receiving guideline-based standard HF therapies at the maximum tolerated doses for \>1 month. Patients on other beta-blockers will be switched to metoprolol succinate at equivalent doses for 3 weeks. * Presence of ICD for \>1 month or implantable cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) for \>3 months * Understand and sign the informed consent form. Exclusion Criteria: * LVEF \> 40%; * Unremitting atrial fibrillation during the screening period or clinically significant ventricular tachycardia (on ICD interrogation); * Non-ischemic HF including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, peripartum or chemotherapy-induced cardiomyopathy, other non-ischemic cardiomyopathies, constrictive pericarditis, significant and uncorrected valvular heart disease (severe regurgitation or severe stenosis or valvular disease requiring surgery), congenital heart disease, primary pulmonary hypertension or secondary severe pulmonary hypertension (≥ 70 mmHg); large pericardial or pleural effusions; right heart failure due to lung disease; * Recent admission (1 month) for acute decompensated HF; * Angina pectoris, cerebrovascular accident, myocardial infarction, revascularization (PCI or other surgery), carotid artery or other large vessel surgery, or cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) implant within the past 3 months; * Planned revascularization within 6 months; * History of heart transplantation, use of ventricular assist device (VAD) or preparation for heart transplantation, VAD; * Liver dysfunction (bilirubin or alkaline phosphatase \> 2 times the upper limit of normal (ULN), aspartate aminotransferase or alanine aminotransferase \> 3 times the upper limit of normal), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) calculated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study (MDRD) method \< 30 ml/min/1.73 m2; * Systolic blood pressure \< 90 mmHg or \> 160 mmHg; * Blood K+ \< 3.2 mmol/L or \> 5.5 mmol/L; * Women of childbearing age who are planning to become pregnant within 2 years, and pregnant or lactating women; * Patients whose survival time is expected to be less than 6 months as judged by the investigator; * Those who have participated in any drug clinical trial within the previous 3 months; * Severe neurological disorders (Alzheimer's disease, progressive parkinsonism); * The subjects with a history of cancer that limits life expectancy to \<1 year; * Endocrine disorders include thyroid disease, thyroid replacement therapy, pheochromocytoma, thyromegaly, etc. * The subject, in the judgment of the Investigator, is unable to complete the study or to comply with the requirements of the study (for administrative or other reasons); * Prisoners; * Adults unable to consent;
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Emory University Hospital (EUH)
Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, United States
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Emory University Hospital Clinical Research Network
Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, United States
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