← Back to Search

Statins

Effect of Short Term Atorvastatin Treatment,80mg/Day on Early Regression of Carotid Artery Atherosclerotic Lesions (DCAT Trial)

Phase 4
Waitlist Available
Led By Joel D Morrisett, PhD
Research Sponsored by Baylor College of Medicine
Eligibility Criteria Checklist
Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial
Must have
Be older than 18 years old
Timeline
Screening 3 weeks
Treatment Varies
Follow Up up to 5 years
Awards & highlights
All Individual Drugs Already Approved
Pivotal Trial
Approved for 40 Other Conditions
Drug Has Already Been Approved
No Placebo-Only Group

Summary

Atherosclerosis is a disease in which the blood vessels become blocked by plaques (consisting of fat, calcification, and fibrous tissue), reducing blood flow to vital organs and tissues.Blockage of the carotid arteries in the neck is a major cause of stroke. One way of treating carotid atherosclerosis is with cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins. Statins have been shown to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 24-40% and risk pf stroke by 11-30%.The purpose of this study is to determine if short term treatment with atorvastatin causes early favorable changes in the plaques that block blood flow through the carotid arteries. These changes can be assessed 1) by taking pictures of the carotid arteries with MRI and Ultrasound before and after statin treatment, and 2) by special studies of the plaques removed from the carotid arteries by surgery.

Eligible Conditions
  • Femoral Artery Disease
  • Atherosclerosis

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks
Treatment ~ Varies
Follow Up ~up to 5 years
This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and up to 5 years for reporting.

Treatment Details

Side effects data

From 2014 Phase 3 trial • 58 Patients • NCT02084069
3%
Postoperative bleeding
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Study treatment Arm
Treatment
Control

Awards & Highlights

All Individual Drugs Already Approved
Therapies where all constituent drugs have already been approved are likely to have better-understood side effect profiles.
Pivotal Trial
The final step before approval, pivotal trials feature drugs that have already shown basic safety & efficacy.
Approved for 40 Other Conditions
This treatment demonstrated efficacy for 40 other conditions.
Drug Has Already Been Approved
The FDA has already approved this drug, and is just seeking more data.
No Placebo-Only Group
All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.

Trial Design

1Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Group I: AExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
An untreated carotid plaque will be obtained at the first endarterectomy. Atorvastatin 80mg will be administered for 3 months. The contralateral (treated) plaque will be obtained at the second endarterectomy. Hence, each patient will be his/her own control
Treatment
First Studied
Drug Approval Stage
How many patients have taken this drug
Atorvastatin
FDA approved

Find a Location

Who is running the clinical trial?

Baylor College of MedicineLead Sponsor
1,028 Previous Clinical Trials
6,030,150 Total Patients Enrolled
PfizerIndustry Sponsor
4,675 Previous Clinical Trials
28,717,170 Total Patients Enrolled
Joel D Morrisett, PhDPrincipal InvestigatorBaylor College of Medicine
Addison M Taylor, MD, PhDStudy DirectorBaylor College of Medicine
William Insull, MDStudy ChairBaylor College of Medicine
~1 spots leftby Jan 2026