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NCT07232069RecruitingPhase 3

PRE-EMPT: Prospective RandomizEd Evaluation and Management of Premature aTherosclerosis

Prospective RandomizEd Evaluation and Management of Premature aTherosclerosis

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 7 Oct 2026

Brief summary (registry, in English)

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States. This clinical trial will test if screening and early treatment of mild heart disease works. PRE-EMPT will screen individuals at low 10-year risk of heart disease with heart disease risk factors to identify those who already have early cholesterol build up, also called "plaque", in their heart arteries. It consists of two phases: 1. A Screening Study - Participants will be assessed for plaque by one or both of these scans. * Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) Scan: A CT scan that looks for calcium or plaque in heart arteries. * Coronary CT Angiography (CCTA) Scan: A CT scan that uses contrast dye to create detailed 3D pictures of heart arteries to look for plaque. 2. A Treatment Trial (approximately 1,500 participants) - Based on the results of the CCTA, participants may be randomized into a two-year trial to test medications aimed at reducing or stabilizing plaque. Participants will have a 1 in 4 chance of receiving only placebo, and a 3 in 4 chance of receiving at least one active medication. Participants will take two pills once a day-either both active medications, one active and one placebo, or both placebos. * Rosuvastatin 20 mg: a cholesterol-lowering medicine * Colchicine 0.5 mg: a medication that lowers inflammation Everyone in the trial will be given information and advice on heart-healthy diet and lifestyle. Participants will have up to two in-person visits for the screening study, then phone visits for the Treatment Trial at the beginning, 3 months, 12 months and 24 months when they will also have an in-person visit for a CCTA Scan. Participants will have blood drawn using an at-home collection device mailed to their home at the beginning, 3 months, and end of the study.

Status (registry)
Recruiting
Phase (registry)
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
1500 (estimated)
First submitted
14 Nov 2025
Start date
21 Jul 2026
Primary completion date
Jul 2031
Lead sponsor
Duke University
NCT number
NCT07232069

What you commit to

  • Study type: Interventional · Phase 3
  • Planned participants: 1500
  • From 21 Jul 2026 to the primary completion date, Jul 2031
  • 23 sites in 1 country
  • Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Prior treatment

  • Current or previous use of lipid lowering therapy or colchicine

Other illness

  • Clinical diagnosis of ASCVD including coronary artery disease (CAD), peripheral arterial disease (PAD) or cerebrovascular disease (CeVD)
  • HIV (if known)
  • Severe liver disease or untreated Hepatitis C infection (if known)
  • Allergy to iodinated intravenous contrast or other contraindication to CCTA
  • Known allergic reactions or sensitivity to the study intervention(s), including known intolerance or contraindication(s) to statin or colchicine, or long-term use of medications that are contraindicated with colchicine or rosuvastatin.
  • Systemic cancer undergoing active treatment
  • Known contraindication to follow-up CCTA (e.g., new IV contrast allergy discovered during the baseline CCTA)

Lab values

  • Diabetes Mellitus (DM) as defined by any of the following: DM diagnosis in the medical record or HbA1C of 6.5% or greater. (if known)
  • eGFR \<45mL/min/1.73m2 (if known)
  • AST or ALT \>1.5x the upper limit of normal (if known)
  • eGFR \<45 ml/min/1.73m2 per baseline labs, (2021 CKD-EPI equation will be used if multiple options are available)
  • Hemoglobin A1c ≥6.5% per baseline labs

Other

  • Current symptoms thought to be from CAD
  • PREVENT ASCVD 10-year risk ≥5% (if known)
  • LDL-C ≥190mg/dL (most recent, if known)
  • Pregnancy, lactation or intending to become pregnant during the study period of 2 years
  • BMI\>40kg/m2 or unable to have a CCTA scan for any reason
  • PREVENT ASCVD 10-year risk ≥5%
  • LDL-C ≥190mg/dL per baseline labs
  • Severe proximal coronary artery stenosis as determined by the central core lab (≥50% left main or ≥70% proximal major coronary artery stenosis)
  • Individuals who are excluded based on any of these factors will be notified as to the reason for exclusion and encouraged to follow-up locally to address this medical issue with their treating physician.

Who the study is looking for

  • Women aged 40-60 years; Men aged 30-50 years
  • Willing and able to provide informed consent and comply with study procedures
  • Smart phone user
  • Use of highly effective contraception by females with reproductive potential.
  • CAC score 1-99 in the screening study or entry through the known plaque pathway (with mild CAC or CAC\<100 if known; elevated CAC on baseline CCTA is not exclusionary in the known plaque arm)
  • Diagnostic baseline CCTA with NCPV ≥10 mm3 as assessed by the central core lab

Age in the registry: 30 years to 60 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (23)

Sites in registry order. Save your city in your profile to sort them by distance.

SiteCityCountrySite status
Johns Hopkins University
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
BaltimoreUnited StatesNot yet recruiting
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
BirminghamUnited StatesRecruiting
Massachusetts General Hospital Brigham
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
BostonUnited StatesRecruiting
Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
CharlestonUnited StatesNot yet recruiting
University of Virginia (UVA)
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
CharlottesvilleUnited StatesRecruiting
University of Chicago
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
ChicagoUnited StatesNot yet recruiting
Essentia Health
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
DuluthUnited StatesNot yet recruiting
Duke University Hospital
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
DurhamUnited StatesRecruiting
Inova Health System
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
FairfaxUnited StatesNot yet recruiting
Wellstar Kennestone Hospital
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
HiramUnited StatesRecruiting
Houston Methodist Hospital
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
HoustonUnited StatesRecruiting
University of California, Los Angeles
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
Los AngelesUnited StatesRecruiting
Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor UCLA Medical Center
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
Los AngelesUnited StatesRecruiting
Marshfield Clinical Research Institute
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
MarshfieldUnited StatesRecruiting
Cardiology Associates
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
MobileUnited StatesRecruiting
Northern Westchester Hospital
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
Mount KiscoUnited StatesNot yet recruiting
Vanderbilt University
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
NashvilleUnited StatesNot yet recruiting
New York University Langone
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
New YorkUnited StatesRecruiting
Weill Cornell Medicine
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
New YorkUnited StatesRecruiting
Thomas Jefferson University
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
PhiladelphiaUnited StatesNot yet recruiting
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
PittsburghUnited StatesNot yet recruiting
Oregon Health and Sciences University
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
PortlandUnited StatesNot yet recruiting
Wake Forest University, Advocate Health
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
Winston-SalemUnited StatesRecruiting

This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.