Chronic Hepatitis CPhase 4NCT01025765
The Effects of Oral Hypoglycemic Agents on Chronic Hepatitis C Patients Receiving Peg-Intron Plus Ribavirin
A Phase 4 study testing Pioglitazone, Acarbose and Metformin in people with Chronic Hepatitis C, run by National Taiwan University Hospital at 1 site in Taiwan.
Trial summary
Pegylated interferon in combination with ribavirin is the current standard treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection, but is expensive and has several adverse effects. To modify this standard treatment by optimizing its therapeutic effect and decreasing its adverse events are important. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 80 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Chronic Hepatitis C
- What is being tested?
- Pioglitazone, Acarbose and Metformin
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 80 participants
- Where
- 1 siteTaiwan
- Study dates
- Nov 2009to Dec 2012
- Phase
- Phase 4
- 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 80 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Treatment naïve
- Age old than 18 years old
- Anti-HCV positive > 6 months
- Detectable serum quantitative HCV-RNA
- HCV genotype 1
- Serum alanine aminotransferase levels above the upper limit of normal with 6 months of enrollment
- Pre-treatment HOMA-IR ≧ 2.0. (HOMA-IR = fasting insulin (mU/L) x fasting glucose (mg/dL) x 0.05551/22.5)
Who cannot join
- Anemia (hemoglobin < 13 gram per deciliter for men and < 12 gram per deciliter for women)
- Neutropenia (neutrophil count <1,500 per cubic milliliter)
- Thrombocytopenia (platelet <90,000 per cubic milliliter)
- Co-infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Chronic alcohol abuse (daily consumption > 20 gram per day in male and >10gram per day in female).
- Diabetes Mellitus history or under oral hypoglycemic agents therapy Liver cirrhosis
Show all 13Show fewer
- Serum creatinine level more than 1.5 times the upper limit of normal Autoimmune liver disease
- Neoplastic disease
- An organ transplant
- Immunosuppressive therapy
- Poorly controlled autoimmune diseases, pulmonary diseases, cardiac diseases, psychiatric diseases, neurological diseases, diabetes mellitus
- Evidence of drug abuse
- Unwilling to have contraception
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Taiwan1 site
National Taiwan University Hospital Department of Internal Medicine,
Taipei, Taiwan, 10002
About this study
Official title: An Open-label, Multi-center, Randomized Study Comparing the Effects of Oral Hypoglycemic Agents on Viral Kinetics of Chronic Hepatitis C Patients Receiving Pegylated Interferon Alfa 2b Plus Ribavirin
Pegylated interferon in combination with ribavirin is the current standard treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection, but is expensive and has several adverse effects. To modify this standard treatment by optimizing its therapeutic effect and decreasing its adverse events are important. Recent studies have identified a close link between metabolic profiles, insulin resistance and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection. Several pilot studies in western world have have found beneficial effects of oral hypoglycemic agents on chronic Hepatitis C (CHC) genotype 1 infected patients. Whether this concept still holds true in Taiwanese people remains unknown.
The objective of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effect of oral hypoglycemic agents (daily for 4 weeks of run-in period and 8 weeks of combination treatment) on CHC genotype 1 infected Taiwanese patients receiving 48 weeks of Peg-IFN plus ribavirin (RBA), and the enrolled subjects will be randomized into 4 treatment groups (including Acarbose, Metformin, Pioglitazone and standard care control groups). During the trial and 24 weeks after the end of treatment, serial serum HCV RNA, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, and other clinical data will be evaluated to determine the therapeutic response and adverse events of the CHC patients.
Read the detailed description
Pegylated interferon in combination with ribavirin is the current standard treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection, but is expensive and has several adverse effects. To modify this standard treatment by optimizing its therapeutic effect and decreasing its adverse events are important.
Recent studies have identified a close link between metabolic profiles, insulin resistance and HCV infection. Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients with higher pretreatment HOMA-IR (insulin resistance) index have poor therapeutic response than the ones with lower HOMA-IR index. Thus, it is reasonable to increase the therapeutic response of CHC patients by lowering insulin resistance. Several pilot studies in western world have been conducted to evaluate this concept by adding oral hypoglycemic agents into pegylated interferon plus ribavirin treatment, and have found beneficial effects of oral hypoglycemic agents on CHC genotype 1 infected patients. Whether this concept still holds true in Taiwanese people remains unknown.
To evaluate the effect of oral hypoglycemic agents on CHC genotype 1 infected Taiwanese patients, we design this study and evaluate the virologic, biochemical and histological responses of CHC patients receiving pegylated interferon plus ribavirin treatment, and hope to identify similar beneficial effects of oral hypoglycemic agents in CHC Taiwanese patients.
We plan to enroll about 80 chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 infected patients from the clinics into this study. All patients should have informed consent, not receive any interferon-based therapy or anti-viral medication, abstinence from alcohol beverage for more than 6 months and conformed to the regulations of Bureau of National Health Insurance, Taiwan. All patients will be randomly assigned into 4 different treatment arms. The patients assigned into the first 3 arms will receive one kind of the following oral hypoglycemic agents, such as Acarbose, Metformin, or Pioglitazone for 12 weeks (including 4 weeks of run-in period and 8 weeks of combination treatment with pegylated interferon alfa plus ribavirin). From week 13, all the patients of the first 3 arms will receive pegylated interferon alfa plus ribavirin for 40 weeks. The last arm is the control group; all the patients in the last arm will receive standard pegylated interferon alfa plus ribavirin treatment for 48 weeks. During the trial and 24 weeks after the end of treatment, the serum HCV RNA levels, clinical and biochemical data will be evaluated to determine the therapeutic response and adverse events of the patients.
- Conditions
- Chronic Hepatitis C
- Being tested
- Pioglitazone, Acarbose, Metformin
- Medical subject headings
- Hepatitis C, Chronic
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
PioglitazoneDrug
Pioglitazone(30mg qd) for 4 weeks of run-in period and 8 weeks of combination treatment with Peginterferon alfa-2b (1.5/μg per kg) per week plus Ribavirin 1000-1200 mg/day (≥ 75 kg, 1200 mg; < 75 kg, 1000mg).
AcarboseDrug
Acarbose (50 mg/per meal) for 4 weeks of run-in period and 8 weeks of combination treatment with Peginterferon alfa-2b (1.5/μg per kg) per week plus Ribavirin 1000-1200 mg/day (≥ 75 kg, 1200 mg; < 75 kg, 1000mg).
MetforminDrug
Metformin (500 mg tid) 4 weeks of run-in period and 8 weeks of combination treatment with Peginterferon alfa-2b (1.5/μg per kg) per week plus Ribavirin 1000-1200 mg/day (≥ 75 kg, 1200 mg; < 75 kg, 1000mg). From week 13, all the subjects will receive pegylated interferon alfa plus ribavirin for 40 weeks.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Standard care of CHC | No intervention | From week 5, all the patients will receive Peginterferon alfa-2b (1.5/μg per kg) per week plus Ribavirin 1000-1200 mg/day (≥ 75 kg, 1200 mg; < 75 kg, 1000mg) for 48 weeks. |
| Pioglitazone | Experimental | From week 5, all the patients will receive Peginterferon alfa-2b (1.5/μg per kg) per week plus Ribavirin 1000-1200 mg/day (≥ 75 kg, 1200 mg; < 75 kg, 1000mg) for 48 weeks. Receives: Drug: Pioglitazone |
| Acarbose | Experimental | From week 5, all the patients will receive Peginterferon alfa-2b (1.5/μg per kg) per week plus Ribavirin 1000-1200 mg/day (≥ 75 kg, 1200 mg; < 75 kg, 1000mg) for 48 weeks. Receives: Drug: Acarbose |
| Metformin | Experimental | From week 5, all the patients will receive Peginterferon alfa-2b (1.5/μg per kg) per week plus Ribavirin 1000-1200 mg/day (≥ 75 kg, 1200 mg; < 75 kg, 1000mg) for 48 weeks. Receives: Drug: Metformin |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Sustained Virologic Response
Measured: at the end of 24 weeks post-treatment follow-up
Secondary outcomes (1)
serum ALT normalization, and histologic improvement
Measured: at the end of treatment and 24 weeks after the end of treatment
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted4 Dec 2009 (estimated)
- Study startNov 2009
- Primary completionDec 2012 (estimated)
- Study completionDec 2012 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Chronic Hepatitis CStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by National Taiwan University HospitalThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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 4
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- National Taiwan University Hospital
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Schering-Plough, Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University Hospital
- Investigators
- Jia-Horng Kao, M.D., PhD., Principal investigator, National Taiwan University Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01025765
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 200905056M
- Status last verified
- Nov 2012
- First submitted
- 2 Dec 2009
- Last updated
- 27 Nov 2012
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 27 Nov 2012. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- An Open-label, Multi-center, Randomized Study Comparing the Effects of Oral Hypoglycemic Agents on Viral Kinetics of Chronic Hepatitis C Patients Receiving Pegylated Interferon Alfa 2b Plus Ribavirin
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01025765
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 200905056M
- Conditions
- Chronic Hepatitis C
- Phase
- Phase 4
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Unknown status
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- National Taiwan University HospitalUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Schering-Plough, Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
- Study start
- Nov 2009
- Primary completion
- Dec 2012 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Dec 2012 (estimated)
- First posted
- 4 Dec 2009 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Pegylated interferon in combination with ribavirin is the current standard treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection, but is expensive and has several adverse effects. To modify this standard treatment by optimizing its therapeutic effect and decreasing its adverse events are important. Recent studies have identified a close link between metabolic profiles, insulin resistance and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection. Several pilot studies in western world have have found beneficial effects of oral hypoglycemic agents on chronic Hepatitis C (CHC) genotype 1 infected patients. Whether this concept still holds true in Taiwanese people remains unknown.
The objective of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effect of oral hypoglycemic agents (daily for 4 weeks of run-in period and 8 weeks of combination treatment) on CHC genotype 1 infected Taiwanese patients receiving 48 weeks of Peg-IFN plus ribavirin (RBA), and the enrolled subjects will be randomized into 4 treatment groups (including Acarbose, Metformin, Pioglitazone and standard care control groups). During the trial and 24 weeks after the end of treatment, serial serum HCV RNA, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, and other clinical data will be evaluated to determine the therapeutic response and adverse events of the CHC patients.
Detailed description
Pegylated interferon in combination with ribavirin is the current standard treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection, but is expensive and has several adverse effects. To modify this standard treatment by optimizing its therapeutic effect and decreasing its adverse events are important.
Recent studies have identified a close link between metabolic profiles, insulin resistance and HCV infection. Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients with higher pretreatment HOMA-IR (insulin resistance) index have poor therapeutic response than the ones with lower HOMA-IR index. Thus, it is reasonable to increase the therapeutic response of CHC patients by lowering insulin resistance. Several pilot studies in western world have been conducted to evaluate this concept by adding oral hypoglycemic agents into pegylated interferon plus ribavirin treatment, and have found beneficial effects of oral hypoglycemic agents on CHC genotype 1 infected patients. Whether this concept still holds true in Taiwanese people remains unknown.
To evaluate the effect of oral hypoglycemic agents on CHC genotype 1 infected Taiwanese patients, we design this study and evaluate the virologic, biochemical and histological responses of CHC patients receiving pegylated interferon plus ribavirin treatment, and hope to identify similar beneficial effects of oral hypoglycemic agents in CHC Taiwanese patients.
We plan to enroll about 80 chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 infected patients from the clinics into this study. All patients should have informed consent, not receive any interferon-based therapy or anti-viral medication, abstinence from alcohol beverage for more than 6 months and conformed to the regulations of Bureau of National Health Insurance, Taiwan. All patients will be randomly assigned into 4 different treatment arms. The patients assigned into the first 3 arms will receive one kind of the following oral hypoglycemic agents, such as Acarbose, Metformin, or Pioglitazone for 12 weeks (including 4 weeks of run-in period and 8 weeks of combination treatment with pegylated interferon alfa plus ribavirin). From week 13, all the patients of the first 3 arms will receive pegylated interferon alfa plus ribavirin for 40 weeks. The last arm is the control group; all the patients in the last arm will receive standard pegylated interferon alfa plus ribavirin treatment for 48 weeks. During the trial and 24 weeks after the end of treatment, the serum HCV RNA levels, clinical and biochemical data will be evaluated to determine the therapeutic response and adverse events of the patients.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 4
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Standard care of CHC | No intervention | –From week 5, all the patients will receive Peginterferon alfa-2b (1.5/μg per kg) per week plus Ribavirin 1000-1200 mg/day (≥ 75 kg, 1200 mg; < 75 kg, 1000mg) for 48 weeks. |
| Pioglitazone | Experimental | Drug: PioglitazoneFrom week 5, all the patients will receive Peginterferon alfa-2b (1.5/μg per kg) per week plus Ribavirin 1000-1200 mg/day (≥ 75 kg, 1200 mg; < 75 kg, 1000mg) for 48 weeks. |
| Acarbose | Experimental | Drug: AcarboseFrom week 5, all the patients will receive Peginterferon alfa-2b (1.5/μg per kg) per week plus Ribavirin 1000-1200 mg/day (≥ 75 kg, 1200 mg; < 75 kg, 1000mg) for 48 weeks. |
| Metformin | Experimental | Drug: MetforminFrom week 5, all the patients will receive Peginterferon alfa-2b (1.5/μg per kg) per week plus Ribavirin 1000-1200 mg/day (≥ 75 kg, 1200 mg; < 75 kg, 1000mg) for 48 weeks. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 80 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Treatment naïve
- Age old than 18 years old
- Anti-HCV positive > 6 months
- Detectable serum quantitative HCV-RNA
- HCV genotype 1
Key exclusion criteria (13 listed)
- Anemia (hemoglobin < 13 gram per deciliter for men and < 12 gram per deciliter for women)
- Neutropenia (neutrophil count <1,500 per cubic milliliter)
- Thrombocytopenia (platelet <90,000 per cubic milliliter)
- Co-infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Chronic alcohol abuse (daily consumption > 20 gram per day in male and >10gram per day in female).
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| PioglitazonePioglitazone(30mg qd) for 4 weeks of run-in period and 8 weeks of combination treatment with Peginterferon alfa-2b (1.5/μg per kg) per week plus Ribavirin 1000-1200 mg/day (≥ 75 kg, 1200 mg; < 75 kg, 1000mg). | Drug | Pioglitazone |
| AcarboseAcarbose (50 mg/per meal) for 4 weeks of run-in period and 8 weeks of combination treatment with Peginterferon alfa-2b (1.5/μg per kg) per week plus Ribavirin 1000-1200 mg/day (≥ 75 kg, 1200 mg; < 75 kg, 1000mg). | Drug | Acarbose |
| MetforminMetformin (500 mg tid) 4 weeks of run-in period and 8 weeks of combination treatment with Peginterferon alfa-2b (1.5/μg per kg) per week plus Ribavirin 1000-1200 mg/day (≥ 75 kg, 1200 mg; < 75 kg, 1000mg). From week 13, all the subjects will receive pegylated interferon alfa plus ribavirin for 40 weeks. | Drug | Metformin |
Primary outcome
Sustained Virologic Response
Time frame: at the end of 24 weeks post-treatment follow-up
1 secondary outcome
serum ALT normalization, and histologic improvement
Time frame: at the end of treatment and 24 weeks after the end of treatment
Results and safety
Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 27 Nov 2012.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Jia-Horng Kao, M.D., PhD. principal investigator
National Taiwan University Hospital
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A Phase 4 study testing Pioglitazone, Acarbose and Metformin in people with Chronic Hepatitis C, run by National Taiwan University Hospital at 1 site in Taiwan.
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 7 inclusion and 13 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: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 27 Nov 2012. 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 Taiwan. 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 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.
Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.
Are results available for this study?
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?
Sustained Virologic Response (time frame: at the end of 24 weeks post-treatment follow-up). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 27 Nov 2012.