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Alcoholic HepatitisPhase 3NCT01455337

Short-term Survival in Patients With Severe Alcoholic Hepatitis Treated With Steroid Versus Pentoxifylline

A Phase 3 study testing pentoxifylline and Prednisolone in people with Alcoholic Hepatitis, run by Inje University.

Unknown status

Status not confirmed. The sponsor has not verified this record for over two years, so it may be out of date.

Official record
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Trial summary

Alcoholic hepatitis represents one of the more serious forms of alcoholic liver disease. Critically ill patients with alcoholic hepatitis have high morbidity and mortality rate. Because of data suggesting that the pathogenic mechanisms in alcoholic hepatitis involve cytokine release and the perpetuation of injury by… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 20 to 75 years
Conditions the study is for
Alcoholic Hepatitis
What is being tested?
pentoxifylline and Prednisolone
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
126 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
Jan 2009to Dec 2011
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 20 to 75 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Clinical diagnosis of Severe alcoholic hepatitis (discriminant function ≥ 32 points), Must be able to swallow tablets.

Who cannot join

  • Gastrointestinal bleeding Bacterial infection HBsAg positivity Acute pancreatitis

About this study

Official title: Principal Investigator

Alcoholic hepatitis represents one of the more serious forms of alcoholic liver disease. Critically ill patients with alcoholic hepatitis have high morbidity and mortality rate. Because of data suggesting that the pathogenic mechanisms in alcoholic hepatitis involve cytokine release and the perpetuation of injury by immunologic process, corticosteroid has been extensively evaluated in the treatment of alcoholic hepatitis. Although there are discrepancies in literature as several randomized trials and meta-analyses have reached contradictory results, corticosteroid for a subset of patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis, defined as a discriminant function ≥ 32, who also have no concomitant gastrointestinal bleeding, active infection, renal failure, and pancreatitis, has been recommended. This latter point emphasizes the important of meticulous selection to avoid the side effects of corticosteroid. Thus, the beneficial effects seems confined to a highly selected minority group in which the inhibitory effect of corticosteroid on liver inflammation is not outweighed by side effects such as weakened defense against infection, anti-anabolic effects, and possible ulcer-promoting effects causing gastrointestinal bleeding, which may be deleterious in these critically ill patients.

Newer understanding of the role of the role of TNF-α expression and receptor activity in alcoholic liver injury has prompted to an examination of TNF inhibition as an alternative to corticosteroid for severe alcoholic hepatitis. Pentoxifylline, a nonspecific TNF inhibitor, recently has been demonstrated in a randomized trial to improve survival in the therapy of severe alcoholic hepatitis. In particular, the survival benefit of pentoxifylline appears to be related to a significant reduction in development of hepatorenal syndrome. These results are promising, and support the need to further evaluate the potential of this new therapeutic avenue.

There is a need for head to head comparison of corticosteroid and pentoxifylline in severe alcoholic hepatitis. At the time the current study was designed (2008), corticosteroid was first-line treatment for severe alcoholic hepatitis. This study was designed to demonstrate that the effect of pentoxifylline was similar (i.e., not inferior) to that of prednisolone, an active form of prednisone. The aim of the present study was thus to compare the effects of pentoxifylline and prednisolone on the short-term mortality.

Being tested
pentoxifylline, Prednisolone
Keywords
severe alcoholic hepatitis
Medical subject headings
Hepatitis, Alcoholic

What participants receive

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

Study groups in NCT01455337
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
prednisoloneActive comparatorNot described
Receives: Drug: Prednisolone
pentoxifyllineExperimentalNot described
Receives: Drug: pentoxifylline

What is being measured

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

  1. survival rate

    Measured: at 1-month

Timeline

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

  1. First posted19 Oct 2011 (estimated)
  2. Study startJan 2009
  3. Primary completionDec 2011 (estimated)
  4. Study completionDec 2011 (estimated)

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
Single blind
Who is masked
Investigator
Enrolment
126 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01455337
Sponsor's protocol ID
1111
Status last verified
Oct 2011
First submitted
13 Oct 2011
Last updated
19 Oct 2011
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 3 study testing pentoxifylline and Prednisolone in people with Alcoholic Hepatitis, run by Inje University.

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 1 inclusion and 1 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 19 Oct 2011. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

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?

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?

survival rate (time frame: at 1-month). 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 19 Oct 2011.

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