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Severe Aplastic Anemia, RefractoryPhase 2NCT00195624

Alemtuzumab to Treat Severe Aplastic Anemia

A Phase 2 study testing Alemtuzumab (Campath ) and Cyclosporine in people with Severe Aplastic Anemia, Refractory and Severe Aplastic Anemia, Relapse, run by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) 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

This study will evaluate the safety and usefulness of a new immunosuppressive drug, alemtuzumab (Campath ), in patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA). SAA is a rare and serious blood disorder in which the bone marrow stops making red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 2 to 110 years
What is being tested?
Alemtuzumab (Campath ) and Cyclosporine
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
47 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
15 Sep 2005to 15 Oct 2018
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

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 2 to 110 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Relapsed severe aplastic anemia after initial hematologic response to a prior course of h-ATG or r-ATG based immunosuppression
  • Or
  • Refractory severe aplastic anemia not responding to both horse-ATG and rabbit ATG-based immunosuppression
  • The criteria for severe aplastic anemia are two of the three criteria:
  • Absolute neutrophil count less than or equal to 500 /mm(3)
  • Platelets to less than or equal to 20,000/mm(3)
Show all 9Show fewer
  • Absolute reticulocyte count less than 60,000 /microL
  • Age greater than or equal to 2 years old and greater than 12 kg
  • Prospective subjects or their parent(s)/responsible guardian(s) must be able to comprehend and be willing to sign an informed consent.

Who cannot join

  • Known Diagnosis of Fanconi's anemia
  • Evidence of a clonal disorder on cytogenetics. In the refractory disease setting, prospective subjects with super severe neutropenia (ANC less than 200 /microL) will not be excluded if results of cytogenetics are not available or pending.
  • Infection not adequately responding to appropriate therapy
  • HIV positivity
  • Failure to discontinue the herbal supplements Echinacea purpurea or Usnea barbata (Old Man's Beard) within 2 weeks of enrollment
  • Moribund status or concurrent hepatic, renal, cardiac, neurologic, pulmonary, infectious, or metabolic disease of such severity that it would preclude the patient's ability to tolerate protocol therapy, or that death within 7-10 days is likely
Show all 10Show fewer
  • Previous hypersensitivity to alemtuzumab or its components
  • Potential subjects with cancer who are on active chemotherapeutic treatment or who take drugs with hematological effects will not be eligible
  • Current pregnancy, or unwilling to take oral contraceptives or refrain from pregnancy if of childbearing potential
  • Not able to understand the investigational nature of the study or give informed consent

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

    Bethesda, Maryland, 20892

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: A Pilot Study of Alemtuzumab (Campath) in Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Severe Aplastic Anemia

This study will evaluate the safety and usefulness of a new immunosuppressive drug, alemtuzumab (Campath ), in patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA). SAA is a rare and serious blood disorder in which the bone marrow stops making red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Alemtuzumab is a monoclonal antibody that attaches to and kills white blood cells called lymphocytes. In certain types of aplastic anemia, lymphocytes are responsible for the destruction of stem cells in the bone marrow, leading to a decrease in blood counts. Because alemtuzumab destroys lymphocytes, it may be effective in treating aplastic anemia. Alemtuzumab is currently approved to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia and is also helpful in other conditions that require immunosuppression, such as rheumatoid arthritis and immune cytopenias.

Patients 2 years of age and older with severe aplastic anemia whose disease does not respond to immunosuppressive therapy or has recurred following immunosuppressive therapy may be eligible for this study. Participants undergo the following tests and procedures:

Read more
  • Pretreatment evaluation: Patients have a medical history, physical examination, blood tests, electrocardiogram (EKG), echocardiogram, 24-hour Holter monitor (continuous 24-hour monitoring of electrical activity of the heart), bone marrow biopsy (withdrawal through a needle of a small sample of bone marrow for analysis).
  • Placement of a central line, if needed: An intravenous line (tube) is placed into a major vein in the patient's chest. It can stay in the body for the entire treatment period and be used to give chemotherapy or other medications, including antibiotics and blood transfusions, if needed, and to withdraw blood samples.
  • Alemtuzumab therapy: Patients are admitted to the NIH Clinical Center for the first few injections for close monitoring of side effects. After receiving an initial small test dose, patients begin the first of ten daily injections under the skin, each lasting about 2 hours. Once patients tolerate the infusions with minimal or no side effects, they may be given the remaining infusions on an outpatient basis. Patients who relapse after their initial response to alemtuzumab are given cyclosporine to see if this drug will boost their immune response.
  • Patients receive transfusions, growth factors, and antibiotic therapy, as needed.
  • Infection therapy: Patients are given aerosolized pentamidine to protect against lung infections and valacyclovir to protect against herpes infections.
  • A blood test is done and vital signs are measured every day while patients receive alemtuzumab.
  • Patients have an echocardiogram and 24-hour Holter monitor after the last dose of alemtuzumab.
  • Blood tests are done weekly for the first 3 months after alemtuzumab administration, then every other week until 6 months.

Patients return to the NIH for follow-up visits 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and yearly for 5 years after the last dose of alemtuzumab for the following tests and evaluations:

  • Blood test
  • Repeat echocardiogram at 3-month visit
  • Repeat bone marrow biopsy 6 months and 12 months after alemtuzumab, then as clinically indicated for 5 years.
Read the detailed description

Hematopoietic stem cell destruction in many human bone marrow failure syndromes is now recognized to be secondary to immune mechanisms. Severe aplastic anemia (SAA) is a life-threatening blood disease which can be effectively treated with immunosuppressive drug regimens. However, a significant minority of patients with SAA fail to respond to a single course of horse antithymocyte globulin and cyclosporine, and other patients experience relapse, especially on discontinuation of therapy. Pancytopenia secondary to refractory or relapsed aplastic anemia has a poor prognosis, with death usually resulting from infectious complications. Alemtuzumab (Campath ) is a humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody directed against the CD52 protein; CD52 is expressed on all lymphocytes and monocytes. Alemtuzumab (Campath ) produces profound and persistent lymphopenia. The antibody has been used to treat a wide range of autoimmune diseases, lymphoid malignancies, and in solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In our limited experience with alemtuzumab for the treatment of SAA refractory to horse antithymocyte globulin, meaningful hematologic responses have been observed and toxicity has been modest.

We therefore propose a non-randomized pilot phase II study of this humanized monoclonal antibody in SAA relapsed or refractory to ATG. Commercially available alemtuzumab (Campath ) will be administered at 10 mg per day subcutaneously for 10 days total.

The primary end point of the study is the response rate at 6 months, defined as no longer satisfying blood count criteria for SAA.

Relapse, robustness of the hematopoietic recovery at 3 and 6 months, 3 months responses, survival, and clonal evolution to myelodysplasia and acute leukemia will be secondary end points.

Being tested
Alemtuzumab (Campath ), Cyclosporine
Keywords
Immunosuppression, T-cells, Hematopoiesis, Autoimmunity, Thrombocytopenia, Severe Aplastic Anemia, SAA
Medical subject headings
Anemia, Aplastic, Recurrence, Autoimmune Diseases, Thrombocytopenia

What participants receive

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

  • Alemtuzumab (Campath )Biological

    Campath administered at a dose of 10/mg/day for 10 days

  • CyclosporineDrug

    Subjects who relapse after initial response to alemtuzumab therapy will have cyclosporine added to the regimen after the 6 month visit. Dosing will be based on ideal body weight and will be adjusted to maintain a target level of 200 - 400 ng /ml.

Study groups in NCT00195624
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Relapsed severe aplastic anemiaExperimentalSubjects diagnosed with relapsed severe aplastic anemia
Receives: Biological: Alemtuzumab (Campath )
Refractory severe asplastic anemiaExperimentalSubjects diagnosed with refractory severe aplastic anemia
Receives: Biological: Alemtuzumab (Campath )
Relapse after AlemtuzumabExperimentalSubjects who relapse after initial response to alemtuzumab therapy will have cyclosporine added to the regimen after the 6 month visit.
Receives: Drug: Cyclosporine

What is being measured

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

  1. Number of Participants With Hematological Response at 6 Months

    Hematological response is defined as no longer satisfying blood count criteria for Severe Aplastic Anemia. Patients were classified as responders if they met two of the following three criteria: ANC greater than 500/ mm'; platelet count greater than 20,000/mm3; and reticulocyte count greater than 40,000/mm3 (60,000/mm3 after January 1993).

    Measured: 6 months

Timeline

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

  1. First posted19 Sep 2005 (estimated)
  2. Study start15 Sep 2005
  3. Primary completion14 Apr 2014
  4. Study completion15 Oct 2018

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
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
47 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00195624
Sponsor's protocol ID
050242
Other IDs
05-H-0242
Status last verified
Oct 2018
First submitted
16 Sep 2005
Last updated
7 Jul 2020
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No

Publications

  • Young NS, Barrett AJ. The treatment of severe acquired aplastic anemia. Blood. 1995 Jun 15;85(12):3367-77. No abstract available.

    PubMed 7780125
  • Young NS, Maciejewski J. The pathophysiology of acquired aplastic anemia. N Engl J Med. 1997 May 8;336(19):1365-72. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199705083361906. No abstract available.

    PubMed 9134878
  • Zoumbos NC, Gascon P, Djeu JY, Trost SR, Young NS. Circulating activated suppressor T lymphocytes in aplastic anemia. N Engl J Med. 1985 Jan 31;312(5):257-65. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198501313120501.

    PubMed 2981406
  • Aggarwal N, Manley AL, Shalhoub R, Durrani J, Rios O, Lotter J, Patel BA, Wu CO, Young NS, Groarke EM. Alemtuzumab in relapsed immune severe aplastic anemia: Long-term results of a phase II study. Am J Hematol. 2023 Jun;98(6):932-939. doi: 10.1002/ajh.26924. Epub 2023 Apr 6.

    PubMed 37021397
  • Zaimoku Y, Patel BA, Adams SD, Shalhoub R, Groarke EM, Lee AAC, Kajigaya S, Feng X, Rios OJ, Eager H, Alemu L, Quinones Raffo D, Wu CO, Flegel WA, Young NS. HLA associations, somatic loss of HLA expression, and clinical outcomes in immune aplastic anemia. Blood. 2021 Dec 30;138(26):2799-2809. doi: 10.1182/blood.2021012895.

    PubMed 34724566
  • Pang Y, Xiao HW, Zhang H, Liu ZH, Li L, Gao Y, Li HB, Jiang ZJ, Tan H, Lin JR, Du X, Weng JY, Nie DN, Lin DJ, Zhang XZ, Liu QF, Xu DR, Chen HJ, Ge XH, Wang XY, Xiao Y. Allogeneic Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Expanded In Vitro for Treatment of Aplastic Anemia: A Multicenter Phase II Trial. Stem Cells Transl Med. 2017 Jul;6(7):1569-1575. doi: 10.1002/sctm.16-0227. Epub 2017 May 15.

    PubMed 28504860
  • Scheinberg P, Nunez O, Weinstein B, Scheinberg P, Wu CO, Young NS. Activity of alemtuzumab monotherapy in treatment-naive, relapsed, and refractory severe acquired aplastic anemia. Blood. 2012 Jan 12;119(2):345-54. doi: 10.1182/blood-2011-05-352328. Epub 2011 Nov 8.

    PubMed 22067384

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Alemtuzumab (Campath ) and Cyclosporine in people with Severe Aplastic Anemia, Refractory and Severe Aplastic Anemia, Relapse, run by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) 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?

The sponsor lists 9 inclusion and 10 exclusion criteria. 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 7 Jul 2020. 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?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 2 Aug 2019). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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?

Number of Participants With Hematological Response at 6 Months (time frame: 6 months). 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 NCT00195624, 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 7 Jul 2020.

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