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Pemphigus VulgarisPhase 2NCT00135720

Study of Etanercept (Enbrel) in the Treatment of Pemphigus Vulgaris

A Phase 2 study testing Enbrel (Etanercept) in people with Pemphigus Vulgaris, run by Massachusetts General Hospital at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of the study is to find out about the effectiveness and the safety of an investigational drug called etanercept (Enbrel) to treat pemphigus vulgaris. Pemphigus vulgaris is a potentially life threatening blistering condition that currently has no cure. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 65 years
Conditions the study is for
Pemphigus Vulgaris
What is being tested?
Enbrel (Etanercept)
How many people
12 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Jun 2004to Nov 2007
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 65 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Summary Inclusion Criteria:

  • Understand and sign the written informed consent form and be willing and able to comply with the procedures of the study
  • Have a clinical diagnosis of pemphigus vulgaris
  • Have at least 6 active pemphigus lesions (blisters or erosions)
  • Have no adverse effects due to combining etanercept with concurrent pemphigus medications
  • Be on stable dose of current pemphigus medications for at least one month
  • Females of child-bearing potential must have a negative urine pregnancy test prior to treatment and agree to practice an acceptable method of birth control (oral contraceptives, hormonal implant devices, Depo-Provera, condom with spermicide, diaphragm with contraceptive cream or foam, or intrauterine device) during the course of the study
  • Be at least 18 years old at time of enrollment
  • Be able to adhere to the study visit schedule and other protocol requirements

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Clinical Unit for Research Trials in Skin

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02114

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: A Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Study of Etanercept (Enbrel) in the Treatment of Pemphigus Vulgaris

The purpose of the study is to find out about the effectiveness and the safety of an investigational drug called etanercept (Enbrel) to treat pemphigus vulgaris. Pemphigus vulgaris is a potentially life threatening blistering condition that currently has no cure.

An investigational drug is one that has not been approved by the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat a particular condition or disease. Etanercept has been approved by the FDA to treat rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis, but not pemphigus vulgaris.

Read the detailed description

People with pemphigus vulgaris have been found to have an increased amount of a substance called tumor-necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in their blood. Etanercept may control pemphigus vulgaris by blocking the effect of TNF-alpha. Patients diagnosed with pemphigus vulgaris have been asked to participate in this research study.

Enrolled subjects will be given either etanercept or placebo. A placebo looks just like the study drug but contains no active medication. Placebos help study doctors find out if the effects of the study drug are due to the drug itself or just because of being in the study. This type of study design helps measure the true effectiveness of a treatment. Patients have 2 chances in 3 of receiving etanercept and 1 chance in 3 of receiving placebo.

The researchers expect to enroll 24 subjects in this study. Up to 16 subjects will be enrolled at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

This study is sponsored by Amgen, Inc., the manufacturer of etanercept.

If taking part in another research study or have taken part in a research study in the last 28 days, patients will not be able to take part in this study. Patients cannot be on multiple studies simultaneously; however, exceptions are made for non-invasive, non-interventional, and observational studies.

This study will last about 16 weeks with a total of 6 study visits: screening, week 0 (baseline), weeks 2, 4, 8 and 16. The participants will be able to continue on your current medications for pemphigus throughout the study.

All participants must be at least 18 years of age with a clinical diagnosis of pemphigus vulgaris and at least 6 active blisters or erosions. Neither pregnant nor nursing women will be included in the study.

Being tested
Enbrel (Etanercept)
Keywords
Pemphigus Vulgaris, Chronic Pemphigus, Etanercept, Enbrel, anti-TNF-alpha, TNF-alpha antagonist, biologic, immunomodulator, subcutaneous medication
Medical subject headings
Pemphigus

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Enbrel (Etanercept)Drug

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Determine the mean time (in days) it takes to reduce active lesions, including blisters and erosions, by 50%

  2. Determine whether etanercept is a possible steroid-sparing treatment option. This will be determined by tapering the patient's existing steroid dose once our primary endpoint has been reached.

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted26 Aug 2005 (estimated)
  2. Study startJun 2004
  3. Study completionNov 2007

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Double blind
Enrolment
12 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00135720
Sponsor's protocol ID
2004-P-002142
Other IDs
79639;
Status last verified
May 2008
First submitted
24 Aug 2005
Last updated
3 Jun 2015
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Stanley JR. Pemphigus. In Fizpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine, 6th edition. Eds. Freedberg IM, Eisen AZ, Wolff K, Austen KF, et al. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 558-567.

  • Goldstein BG and Goldstein AO. Pemphigus and bullous pemphigoid. UpToDate.

  • Alpsoy E, Yilmaz E, Basaran E, Yazar S, Cetin L. Is the combination of tetracycline and nicotinamide therapy alone effective in pemphigus? Arch Dermatol. 1995 Nov;131(11):1339-40. doi: 10.1001/archderm.131.11.1339. No abstract available.

    PubMed 7503585
  • Sacher C, Rubbert A, Konig C, Scharffetter-Kochanek K, Krieg T, Hunzelmann N. Treatment of recalcitrant cicatricial pemphigoid with the tumor necrosis factor alpha antagonist etanercept. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2002 Jan;46(1):113-5. doi: 10.1067/mjd.2001.119100.

    PubMed 11756956
  • Berookhim B, Fischer HD, Weinberg JM. Treatment of recalcitrant pemphigus vulgaris with the tumor necrosis factor alpha antagonist etanercept. Cutis. 2004 Oct;74(4):245-7.

    PubMed 15551718
  • Alecu M, Alecu S, Coman G, Galatescu E, Ursaciuc C. ICAM-1, ELAM-1, TNF-alpha and IL-6 in serum and blister liquid of pemphigus vulgaris patients. Roum Arch Microbiol Immunol. 1999 Apr-Jul;58(2):121-30.

    PubMed 11845451
  • D'Auria L, Bonifati C, Mussi A, D'Agosto G, De Simone C, Giacalone B, Ferraro C, Ameglio F. Cytokines in the sera of patients with pemphigus vulgaris: interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha levels are significantly increased as compared to healthy subjects and correlate with disease activity. Eur Cytokine Netw. 1997 Dec;8(4):383-7.

    PubMed 9459618

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Enbrel (Etanercept) in people with Pemphigus Vulgaris, run by Massachusetts General Hospital at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Jun 2015. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Determine the mean time (in days) it takes to reduce active lesions, including blisters and erosions, by 50%. The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00135720, which also lists 7 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 3 Jun 2015.

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