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Acute Graft Versus Host DiseasePhase 2NCT02133924

Multicenter Study Of Natalizumab Plus Standard Steroid Treatment For High Risk Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease

A Phase 2 study testing natalizumab and steroids in people with Acute Graft Versus Host Disease, run by John Levine at 12 sites 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 research trial is designed to study the safety and effectiveness of combining the study drug, Natalizumab (Tysabri®) with the standard treatment, the use of steroids, as a new treatment for acute graft versus host disease (acute GVHD). GVHD is the most common serious complication, after bone marrow transplant. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Acute Graft Versus Host Disease
What is being tested?
natalizumab and steroids
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
76 participants
Where
12 sitesUnited States
Study dates
Aug 2016to 21 Nov 2021
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 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • New onset high risk acute GVHD (Ann Arbor score 2 or3 as defined in Appendix C of the protocol) following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Any clinical severity (Glucksberg grade I-IV) is eligible. Patients with prior or existing diagnosis of GVHD without any treatment are eligible. Patients given only topical corticosteroids for skin GVHD are eligible.
  • Any donor type (e.g., related, unrelated) or stem cell source (bone marrow, peripheral blood, cord blood). Recipients of non-myeloablative and myeloablative transplants are eligible.
  • No prior systemic treatment for acute GVHD except for a maximum of 3 days of prednisone ≤2 mg/kg/day (or IV methylprednisolone). Topical skin steroid treatment, non-absorbable oral steroid treatment for GI GVHD, and resumption of GVHD prophylaxis agents (e.g., calcineurin inhibitors) are permissible. Patients enrolled in BMT CTN 1501 who randomized to sirolimus are also eligible.
  • Age 18 years or older.
  • Direct bilirubin must be <2 mg/dL unless the elevation is known to be due to Gilbert syndrome or aGVHD within 3 days of enrollment.
  • ALT/SGPT and AST/SGOT must be <5 x the upper limit of the normal range within 3 days of enrollment, unless the elevation is due to liver GVHD.
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  • If the patient is a woman of child-bearing potential, the patient and their sexual partner must agree to practice effective contraception.
  • Written informed consent from patient.
  • Biopsy of acute GVHD target organ is strongly recommended, but not required. Enrollment should not be delayed for biopsy or pathology results. Patients who do not enroll within 3 days of systemic steroid treatment for acute GVHD are not permitted to participate.

Who cannot join

  • Progressive or relapsed malignancy since BMT
  • Uncontrolled active infection
  • Patients with chronic GVHD only. Patient with overlap syndrome are eligible.
  • History of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML)
  • Known hypersensitivity to natalizumab
  • Pregnant or nursing (lactating) women
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  • Use of other drugs for the treatment of acute GVHD
  • Steroid therapy for indications other than GVHD at doses >0.5 mg/kg/d of methylprednisolone or equivalent within 7 days prior to initiation of GVHD treatment
  • Patients on dialysis
  • Patients requiring ventilator support
  • Investigational agent within 30 days of enrollment without approval from the Sponsor-Investigator

Trial locations and contacts

12 sites in 1 country.

12 sites in 1 country

United States12 sites
  • Emory University

    Atlanta, Georgia, 30008

  • Massachusetts General Hospital

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02114

  • Northwestern

    Chicago, Illinois, 60611

  • Ohio State University

    Columbus, Ohio, 43210

  • City of Hope

    Duarte, California, 91010

  • Vanderbilt University

    Nashville, Tennessee, 37232

  • Mount Sinai Health System

    New York, New York, 10029

  • Columbia University

    New York, New York, 10032

  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

    New York, New York, 10065

  • University of Pennsylvania, Abramson Cancer Center

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104

  • Mayo Clinical

    Rochester, Minnesota, 55905

  • The University of Kansas Cancer Center

    Westwood, Kansas, 66205

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Phase II Multicenter Study Of Natalizumab Plus Standard Steroid Treatment For High Risk Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease

This research trial is designed to study the safety and effectiveness of combining the study drug, Natalizumab (Tysabri®) with the standard treatment, the use of steroids, as a new treatment for acute graft versus host disease (acute GVHD). GVHD is the most common serious complication, after bone marrow transplant. GVHD occurs when the donor cells (the graft), treat the recipient's body as "foreign" and attack the cells in the recipient's body. During this immune system response, donor cells damage body tissues, such as the skin, liver, stomach, and/or intestines. Acute GVHD can be severe and if severe, potentially fatal to the transplant recipient. Acute GVHD usually happens within the first several months after transplant.

The goal of this research is to develop a safer and more effective treatment for acute GVHD, and particularly for acute GVHD that affects the gastrointestinal (or GI) tract, with the ultimate goal being safer and more effective transplant therapies for blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.

Read the detailed description

The only proven effective treatment for patients with acute graft vs host disease is steroids. Patients not responding to steroid treatment are at high risk for death. Unfortunately, based on the early symptoms, it is not possible to tell whether a patient will respond to steroids, when GVHD is diagnosed and treatment with steroids, such as prednisone, is started.

This research trial is designed to study the safety and effectiveness of combining the study drug, Natalizumab (Tysabri®) with the use of steroids to treat acute GVHD in patients at the earliest stages of clinical symptoms, but, by using a proprietary method developed at the University of Michigan and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, are predicted to be at high risk for not responding to steroid therapy, the standard of care.

Investigators at Mount Sinai have developed a research method believed that it might make it possible to predict who is at high risk for not responding to steroids. This method, called Ann Arbor GVHD scoring, uses the levels of naturally occurring chemicals in the blood (called biomarkers) to determine a patient's GVHD score(1, 2, or 3).

A hypothesis is that many patients with Ann Arbor score 2 or 3 GVHD, will not respond well to steroid treatment and die within 6 months of their GVHD diagnosis. Most of the deaths are due to intestinal GVHD, which sometimes does not develop, until after standard steroid treatment has already begun.

Only patients with Ann Arbor score 2 or 3 GVHD, will be eligible for this study treatment. It is important to understand that Ann Arbor GVHD grading is not approved for clinical use. It can only be used as a test for research purposes. In this study, patients must have their blood tested to determine, if they qualify as Ann Arbor score 2 or 3 GVHD, and must start the study treatment within 3 days of starting systemic steroid treatment for acute GVHD.

The study will test whether the investigators can improve steroid response and prevent death from GVHD with the combination therapy, by blocking the donor cells from getting to the intestine and causing damage. Natalizumab (Tysabri®) is a drug that works by blocking the signals that cause immune cells like donor cells, to travel to organs like the intestine or brain.

Natalizumab is FDA-approved in adults, to treat Crohn's disease, a chronic condition where immune cells cause damage to the digestive system (such as the stomach, intestines). It is also used to treat multiple sclerosis where immune cells cause damage to the nervous system in the brain. Its intended use is for patients with disease that has not responded to the standard treatment, or cannot tolerate the side effects from standard treatments.

Natalizumab has never been used for treating GVHD. It is an experimental drug for this study, because the investigators are investigating a new use for the drug, as a GVHD treatment.

Being tested
natalizumab, steroids
Keywords
Graft vs Host Disease, Graft vs Host Reaction, allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, adverse effects
Medical subject headings
Graft vs Host Disease

What participants receive

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

  • natalizumabDrug

    Also called Tysabri

    Natalizumab 300mg on days 0 and 14.

  • steroidsDrug

    Also called Prednisone, methylprednisolone equivalent IV

    Prednisone 2mg/kg/d (or methyl-prednisolone IV equivalent)

Study groups in NCT02133924
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Natalizumab with steroidsExperimentalFor subjects whose GVHD assay is Ann Arbor score 2 or 3, the study treatment will consist of two drugs, prednisone (or methylprednisolone) and natalizumab. Protocol treatment must start within 3 days of the subject's diagnosis of acute GVHD.
Receives: Drug: natalizumab; Drug: steroids

What is being measured

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

  1. Number of Participants With Complete Response (CR)

    The primary endpoint for this clinical study is the proportion of complete response, CR (that is, the percent of patients with skin, liver, and GI GVHD - all stage 0) at day 28 of study treatment. Stage 0 = no rash, total bilirubin <2 mg/dl, diarrhea <500 ml/d

    Measured: Day 28

Secondary outcomes (7)
  1. Number of Participants With Overall Survival (OS)

    Number of participants with overall survival at 1 year

    Measured: 1 year

  2. Number of Participants With Non-Relapse Mortality (NRM)

    Number of participants with Non-Relapse Mortality (NRM) at 6 months and 1 year

    Measured: 6 months and 1 year

  3. Number of Participants With SR GVHD

    Number of participants with steroid-refractory (SR) GVHD to express cumulative incidence of treatment-refractory GVHD (defined as absence of CR or PR on day 28 of treatment or who receive additional immunosuppression prior to day 28)

    Measured: 1 year

  4. Time to Discontinuation of Steroid Therapy

    Time in days to discontinuation of steroid therapy.

    Measured: up to 365 days

  5. Number of Participants Who Received Additional GVHD Therapies

    Number of participants who received additional GVHD therapies (defined as the initiation of a new acute GVHD therapy, regardless of duration)

    Measured: 1 year

  6. Number of Serious Infections

    Number of serious infections (defined as score 3 by the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network)

    Measured: 6 months

  7. Number of Participants With Overall Response Rate (CR + PR)

    Overall response rate (CR + PR) at day 28. Partial Response (PR) is defined as improvement in one or more organs involved with GVHD symptoms without progression in others. For a response to be scored as PR on day 28, the patient must be in PR on day 28 and have had no intervening non-study therapy for acute GVHD.

    Measured: Day 28

Timeline

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

  1. First posted8 May 2014 (estimated)
  2. Study startAug 2016
  3. Primary completion10 Dec 2020
  4. Study completion21 Nov 2021

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
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
76 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02133924
Sponsor's protocol ID
GCO 15-1624
Status last verified
Oct 2022
First submitted
6 May 2014
Last updated
21 Oct 2022
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No

Publications

  • Al Malki MM, London K, Baez J, Akahoshi Y, Hogan WJ, Etra A, Choe H, Hexner E, Langston A, Abhyankar S, Ponce DM, DeFilipp Z, Kitko CL, Adekola K, Reshef R, Ayuk F, Capellini A, Chanswangphuwana C, Eder M, Eng G, Gandhi I, Grupp S, Gleich S, Holler E, Javorniczky NR, Kasikis S, Kowalyk S, Morales G, Ozbek U, Rosler W, Spyrou N, Yanik G, Young R, Chen YB, Nakamura R, Ferrara JLM, Levine JE. Phase 2 study of natalizumab plus standard corticosteroid treatment for high-risk acute graft-versus-host disease. Blood Adv. 2023 Sep 12;7(17):5189-5198. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2023009853.

    PubMed 37235690

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing natalizumab and steroids in people with Acute Graft Versus Host Disease, run by John Levine at 12 sites 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 11 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 21 Oct 2022. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 12 sites 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 21 Oct 2022). 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 Complete Response (CR) (time frame: Day 28). 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 NCT02133924, which also lists 1 linked publication.

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 21 Oct 2022.

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