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ANCA Associated Systemic Vasculitis Including Wegener'sPhase 3NCT00307645

IMPROVE: Mycophenolate Mofetil Versus Azathioprine for Maintenance Therapy in ANCA Associated Systemic Vasculitis

A Phase 3 study testing Cyclophosphamide, Mycophenolate mofetil and Azathioprine in people with ANCA Associated Systemic Vasculitis Including Wegener's and Granulomatosis and Microscopic Polyangiitis and, run by Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris at 2 sites in 2 countries.

Terminated

Stopped early. The study ended before it was planned to and will not resume.

Official record
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Trial summary

The aim of IMPROVE is to define the optimal maintenance therapy for ANCA-associated vasculitides (AASV) by comparing the AZA (standard regimen) with MMF in terms of efficacy, i.e. in preventing relapses. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
What is being tested?
Cyclophosphamide, Mycophenolate mofetil and Azathioprine
How many people
160 participants
Where
2 sitesin 2 countries
Study dates
May 2003to Aug 2009
Phase
Phase 3
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 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Newly diagnosed patients with WG, MPA or renal-limited vasculitis.
  • ANCA positivity. ANCA positivity requires PR3-ANCA or a typical cANCA pattern by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF), preferably confirmed by anti-PR3 ELISA. MPO-ANCA determined by ELISA requires demonstration of pANCA, and pANCA by IIF requires confirmation by anti-MPO ELISA. Optionally, central review of ANCA serology can be performed.
  • Age 18 to 75 years

Who cannot join

  • Any cytotoxic drug within previous year, unless started within one months of entry and according to the protocol design
  • Co-existence of another systemic autoimmune disease, e.g. SLE
  • Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C infection
  • HIV positivity
  • Failure to achieve remission after 6 months of CYC therapy
  • Failure to control progressive disease with induction protocol
Show all 12Show fewer
  • Malignancy (usually exclude unless agreed with trial co-ordinator)
  • Pregnancy or inadequate contraception
  • Age below 18 and above 75 years*
  • Endstage renal failure unless active extrarenal disease requires treatment (temporal dependency of hemodialysis is not an exclusion criterion)
  • Inability for informed consent
  • After discussion with the trial administrator, patients less than 18 years may be incorporated on separate application according to the appropriate local ethic committee.

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 2 countries.

2 sites in 2 countries

France1 site
  • Hopital Cochin

    Paris, 75679

Other trials in France

United Kingdom1 site
  • Addenbrooke's Hospital - Departement of Medecine

    Cambridge, CB2 2SP

Other trials in United Kingdom

About this study

Official title: Mycophenolate Mofetil Versus Azathioprine for Maintenance Therapy in ANCA Associated Systemic Vasculitis

The aim of IMPROVE is to define the optimal maintenance therapy for ANCA-associated vasculitides (AASV) by comparing the AZA (standard regimen) with MMF in terms of efficacy, i.e. in preventing relapses.

HYPOTHESIS :

MMF might be more effective than azathioprine as maintenance drug in AASV patients, reducing by 50% relapse rate, with a same frequency of adverse effects

Read the detailed description

AASV, including Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and renal limited vasculitis (RLV), are progressive, multisystem, autoimmune diseases which require the prescription of immunosuppressive therapy. Treatment using corticosteroids and cytotoxic drugs has been standardised (ECSYSVASTRIAL project), but relapse rate remains high and treatment-related toxicity is non negligible. The IMPROVE trial aims to reduce this relapse rate by using mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) for maintenance therapy. The potential benefit of MMF has been suggested in a published open and uncontrolled study. Patients with newly diagnosed systemic AASV will be randomly assigned to receive either MMF or reference treatment with azathioprine (AZA), once remission has been obtained with cyclophosphamide and prednisone. MMF and AZA will be continued for a total of 42 months of therapy with concomitant prednisone dose tapering. The study will last 48 months. Hence, within the last 6 months of the study duration, the patients will not receive any immunosuppressive drugs.

The primary end-point will the disease-free period, taken as the period of time from remission until relapse or study end; secondary end-points will be adverse events, cumulative damage (assessed using damage score VDI) and immunosuppressive drug cumulative dose.

Being tested
Cyclophosphamide, Mycophenolate mofetil, Azathioprine, Prednisone (and methylprednisolone)
Keywords
ANCA associated systemic vasculitis, Maintenance therapy, Azathioprine, Mycophenolate mofetil
Medical subject headings
Microscopic Polyangiitis

What participants receive

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

What is being measured

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

  1. the disease-free period, defined as the time between the beginning

  2. of the maintenance therapy (AZA or MMF) and the first relapse (minor or major)

  3. or the end of the protocol (at 48 months)

Secondary outcomes (5)
  1. relapse rate

  2. rate of side-effects and intolerance

  3. cumulative doses (AZA, CS, MMF)

  4. AUC for BVAS, SF-36 or VDI

  5. Evolution of titers of ANCA and CRP

Timeline

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

  1. First posted28 Mar 2006 (estimated)
  2. Study startMay 2003
  3. Study completionAug 2009

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 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
160 participants
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00307645
Sponsor's protocol ID
P991003
Status last verified
Mar 2003
First submitted
27 Mar 2006
Last updated
10 Apr 2006
Results posted
No

Publications

  • Morgan MD, Szeto M, Walsh M, Jayne D, Westman K, Rasmussen N, Hiemstra TF, Flossmann O, Berden A, Hoglund P, Harper L; European Vasculitis Society. Negative anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibody at switch to maintenance therapy is associated with a reduced risk of relapse. Arthritis Res Ther. 2017 Jun 7;19(1):129. doi: 10.1186/s13075-017-1321-1.

    PubMed 28592297
  • Hiemstra TF, Walsh M, Mahr A, Savage CO, de Groot K, Harper L, Hauser T, Neumann I, Tesar V, Wissing KM, Pagnoux C, Schmitt W, Jayne DR; European Vasculitis Study Group (EUVAS). Mycophenolate mofetil vs azathioprine for remission maintenance in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2010 Dec 1;304(21):2381-8. doi: 10.1001/jama.2010.1658. Epub 2010 Nov 8.

    PubMed 21060104

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 3 study testing Cyclophosphamide, Mycophenolate mofetil and Azathioprine in people with ANCA Associated Systemic Vasculitis Including Wegener's and Granulomatosis and Microscopic Polyangiitis and, run by Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris at 2 sites in 2 countries.

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 3 inclusion and 12 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: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 10 Apr 2006. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in France, United Kingdom. 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 3 studies compare the treatment with the current standard treatment or a placebo in a large group, to confirm how well it works and watch for side effects.

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 was stopped early. Results are not available in the source record.

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?

the disease-free period, defined as the time between the beginning. The study lists 3 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 NCT00307645, which also lists 2 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 10 Apr 2006; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 7 Nov 2026.

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