LipodystrophyPhase 3NCT02262832
Compassionate Use of Metreleptin in Previously Treated People With Generalized Lipodystrophy
A Phase 3 study testing Metreleptin in people with Lipodystrophy and Diabetes, run by National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Background: Generalized lipodystrophy can cause high blood fat levels and resistance to insulin. This can lead to health problems including diabetes. Researchers have found that the drug metreleptin improves health in people with this disease. Objective: To test the safety and effectiveness of metreleptin. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 6 months to 98 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Lipodystrophy, Diabetes, Hyperlipidemia
- What is being tested?
- Metreleptin
- Type of treatment
- Injection or infusion
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 24 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 9 Oct 2014to 31 Jul 2027
- Phase
- Phase 3
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 6 months to 98 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Age greater than or equal to 6 months.
- Generalized lipodystrophy (either congenital or acquired).
- Those who cannot obtain metreleptin through approved or compassionate use mechanisms in their home country.
Who cannot join
- Availability of metreleptin to the patient either as an approved drug, or through local compassionate use or expanded access programs.
- Known HIV infection or HIV-associated lipodystrophy.
- Any medical condition or medication that will increase risk to the subject.
- Current alcohol or substance abuse.
- Subjects who have a known hypersensitivity to E. coli derived proteins (as leptin is derived from such proteins).
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
Bethesda, Maryland, 20892
About this study
Official title: Compassionate Use of Metreleptin in Previously-Treated Patients With Generalized Lipodystrophy
Background:
- Generalized lipodystrophy can cause high blood fat levels and resistance to insulin. This can lead to health problems including diabetes. Researchers have found that the drug metreleptin improves health in people with this disease.
Read more
Objective:
- To test the safety and effectiveness of metreleptin.
Eligibility:
- People ages 6 months and older with generalized lipodystrophy who:
- have received metreleptin through NIH studies AND
- cannot get it through approved or compassionate use mechanisms in their home country.
Design:
- Participants will come to NIH approximately every 6 months during year one, then every 1 2 years. Financial assistance may be available for travel within the U.S.
- At visits, participants will get a supply of metreleptin to take home for daily injections. They will have:
- plastic catheter placed in an arm vein.
- blood tests, urine collection, and physical exam.
- oral glucose tolerance test, drinking a sweet liquid.
- ultrasound of the heart, liver, uterus, and ovaries. A gel and a probe are placed on the skin and pictures are taken of the organs.
- echocardiogram, which takes pictures of the heart with sound waves.
- Resting Metabolic Rate taken. A plastic hood is worn over the head while the oxygen they breathe is measured.
- Participants will have up to 3 DEXA scan x-rays per year.
- Participants may have:
- annual bone x-rays.
- liver biopsies every few years. A needle will be inserted into the liver to obtain a small piece. Participants will sign a separate consent for this.
- Participants must be seen regularly by their local doctors and have blood tests at least every 3 6 months at home.
Read the detailed description
Leptin is an adipocyte-derived hormone that can be thought of as a signal from adipose tissue to the rest of the body conveying information about long-term nutritional status. Patients with the very rare condition of generalized lipodystrophy have leptin deficiency secondary to lack of adipose tissue. The combination of leptin deficiency and ectopic lipid deposition in patients with lipodystrophy leads to metabolic complications including severe insulin resistance and diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and polycystic ovarian syndrome. Between 2000 and 2014, the NIDDK IRP conducted an open-label clinical trial of the recombinant human leptin analog, metreleptin, in patients with generalized and partial forms of lipodystrophy. This study showed that metreleptin ameliorates metabolic and endocrine abnormalities in lipodystrophy, including reducing food intake, improving insulin resistance and diabetes, reducing ectopic lipid, and normalizing reproduction. Based on these data, metreleptin was approved by the FDA in February, 2014, for patients with generalized, but not partial, lipodystrophy.
Currently, metreleptin is not available as an approved drug outside the US and Japan, and it is available on a compassionate use basis only in a few additional countries. The purpose of this study is twofold:
- To provide access to metreleptin to patients with generalized lipodystrophy, including those who have previously received metreleptin through NIH studies (protocols 02-DK-0022 and 13-DK- 0057) AND/OR who cannot obtain metreleptin through approved or compassionate use mechanisms in their home country
- To continue to collect data on the long-term efficacy of metreleptin in ameliorating the metabolic complications of generalized lipodystrophy.
Metreleptin will be given at doses of less than or equal to 0.24 mg/kg/day, adjusted based on body weight and metabolic control. Patients will be seen approximately once per year at NIH for evaluation, and potentially less frequently for those who are medically stable and have difficulty traveling to the US. Laboratory evaluation will be obtained more frequently by the patient s home providers as clinically indicated. The primary outcomes of the study are improvements in serum triglycerides and hemoglobin A1c levels. Secondary outcomes include measures of steatohepatitis and ectopic lipid, body composition, bone mineral density and bone mineral metabolism, and pituitary and reproductive function.
Metreleptin is supplied by Chiesi USA, Inc.. Neither the NIH nor Chiesi USA, Inc. can guarantee that leptin will be available for these patients indefinitely and/or after the study ends.
- Conditions
- Lipodystrophy, Diabetes, Hyperlipidemia
- Being tested
- Metreleptin
- Keywords
- Diabetes, Leptin, Lipodystrophy, Hypertriglyceridemia
- Medical subject headings
- Lipodystrophy, Diabetes Mellitus, Hyperlipidemias, Hypertriglyceridemia
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
MetreleptinDrug
administered subcutaneously 1-2 times/day
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Leptin study drug | Other | Administration of study drug SQ BID Receives: Drug: Metreleptin |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Serum triglycerides
Improvements in lab value.
Measured: every 6-12 months
Serum hemoglobin A1C
Improvements in lab value.
Measured: every 6-12 months
Secondary outcomes (4)
Steatohepatosis
stable or improvements
Measured: every 12 months
Pituitary & Reproductive Function
stable or improvements
Measured: every 6-12 months
Ectopic lipid & body composition
stable or improvements
Measured: every 12 months
Bone mineral density & metabolism
stable or improvements
Measured: every 12 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted13 Oct 2014 (estimated)
- Study start9 Oct 2014
- Primary completion31 Jul 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Jul 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (3)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for LipodystrophyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)The 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 3
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 24 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Sponsor type
- US National Institutes of Health
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Rebecca J Brown, M.D., Principal investigator, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02262832
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 150003
- Other IDs
- 15-DK-0003
- Status last verified
- 15 Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 10 Oct 2014
- Last updated
- 27 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- Yes
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Subject level data will be shared upon request after appropriate collaboration agreements are in place.
Publications
Malandrino N, Reynolds JC, Brychta RJ, Chen KY, Auh S, Gharib AM, Startzell M, Cochran EK, Brown RJ. Visceral fat does not contribute to metabolic disease in lipodystrophy. Obes Sci Pract. 2019 Jan 24;5(1):75-82. doi: 10.1002/osp4.319. eCollection 2019 Feb.
PubMed 30847226Meral R, Ryan BJ, Malandrino N, Jalal A, Neidert AH, Muniyappa R, Akinci B, Horowitz JF, Brown RJ, Oral EA. "Fat Shadows" From DXA for the Qualitative Assessment of Lipodystrophy: When a Picture Is Worth a Thousand Numbers. Diabetes Care. 2018 Oct;41(10):2255-2258. doi: 10.2337/dc18-0978.
PubMed 30237235Brown RJ, Meehan CA, Cochran E, Rother KI, Kleiner DE, Walter M, Gorden P. Effects of Metreleptin in Pediatric Patients With Lipodystrophy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2017 May 1;102(5):1511-1519. doi: 10.1210/jc.2016-3628.
PubMed 28324110
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 27 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Compassionate Use of Metreleptin in Previously-Treated Patients With Generalized Lipodystrophy
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02262832
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 150003
- Conditions
- Lipodystrophy, Diabetes, Hyperlipidemia
- Keywords
- Diabetes, Leptin, Lipodystrophy, Hypertriglyceridemia
- Phase
- Phase 3
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 24 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)US National Institutes of Health
- Study start
- 9 Oct 2014 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Jul 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Jul 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 13 Oct 2014 (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.
Background:
- Generalized lipodystrophy can cause high blood fat levels and resistance to insulin. This can lead to health problems including diabetes. Researchers have found that the drug metreleptin improves health in people with this disease.
Objective:
- To test the safety and effectiveness of metreleptin.
Eligibility:
- People ages 6 months and older with generalized lipodystrophy who:
- have received metreleptin through NIH studies AND
- cannot get it through approved or compassionate use mechanisms in their home country.
Design:
- Participants will come to NIH approximately every 6 months during year one, then every 1 2 years. Financial assistance may be available for travel within the U.S.
- At visits, participants will get a supply of metreleptin to take home for daily injections. They will have:
- plastic catheter placed in an arm vein.
- blood tests, urine collection, and physical exam.
- oral glucose tolerance test, drinking a sweet liquid.
- ultrasound of the heart, liver, uterus, and ovaries. A gel and a probe are placed on the skin and pictures are taken of the organs.
- echocardiogram, which takes pictures of the heart with sound waves.
- Resting Metabolic Rate taken. A plastic hood is worn over the head while the oxygen they breathe is measured.
- Participants will have up to 3 DEXA scan x-rays per year.
- Participants may have:
- annual bone x-rays.
- liver biopsies every few years. A needle will be inserted into the liver to obtain a small piece. Participants will sign a separate consent for this.
- Participants must be seen regularly by their local doctors and have blood tests at least every 3 6 months at home.
Detailed description
Leptin is an adipocyte-derived hormone that can be thought of as a signal from adipose tissue to the rest of the body conveying information about long-term nutritional status. Patients with the very rare condition of generalized lipodystrophy have leptin deficiency secondary to lack of adipose tissue. The combination of leptin deficiency and ectopic lipid deposition in patients with lipodystrophy leads to metabolic complications including severe insulin resistance and diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and polycystic ovarian syndrome. Between 2000 and 2014, the NIDDK IRP conducted an open-label clinical trial of the recombinant human leptin analog, metreleptin, in patients with generalized and partial forms of lipodystrophy. This study showed that metreleptin ameliorates metabolic and endocrine abnormalities in lipodystrophy, including reducing food intake, improving insulin resistance and diabetes, reducing ectopic lipid, and normalizing reproduction. Based on these data, metreleptin was approved by the FDA in February, 2014, for patients with generalized, but not partial, lipodystrophy.
Currently, metreleptin is not available as an approved drug outside the US and Japan, and it is available on a compassionate use basis only in a few additional countries. The purpose of this study is twofold:
- To provide access to metreleptin to patients with generalized lipodystrophy, including those who have previously received metreleptin through NIH studies (protocols 02-DK-0022 and 13-DK- 0057) AND/OR who cannot obtain metreleptin through approved or compassionate use mechanisms in their home country
- To continue to collect data on the long-term efficacy of metreleptin in ameliorating the metabolic complications of generalized lipodystrophy.
Metreleptin will be given at doses of less than or equal to 0.24 mg/kg/day, adjusted based on body weight and metabolic control. Patients will be seen approximately once per year at NIH for evaluation, and potentially less frequently for those who are medically stable and have difficulty traveling to the US. Laboratory evaluation will be obtained more frequently by the patient s home providers as clinically indicated. The primary outcomes of the study are improvements in serum triglycerides and hemoglobin A1c levels. Secondary outcomes include measures of steatohepatitis and ectopic lipid, body composition, bone mineral density and bone mineral metabolism, and pituitary and reproductive function.
Metreleptin is supplied by Chiesi USA, Inc.. Neither the NIH nor Chiesi USA, Inc. can guarantee that leptin will be available for these patients indefinitely and/or after the study ends.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Leptin study drug | Other | Drug: MetreleptinAdministration of study drug SQ BID |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 6 months to 98 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Availability of metreleptin to the patient either as an approved drug, or through local compassionate use or expanded access programs.
- Known HIV infection or HIV-associated lipodystrophy.
- Any medical condition or medication that will increase risk to the subject.
- Current alcohol or substance abuse.
- Subjects who have a known hypersensitivity to E. coli derived proteins (as leptin is derived from such proteins).
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Metreleptinadministered subcutaneously 1-2 times/day | Drug | Leptin study drug |
Primary outcome
Serum triglycerides
Time frame: every 6-12 months
Improvements in lab value.
Serum hemoglobin A1C
Time frame: every 6-12 months
Improvements in lab value.
4 secondary outcomes
Steatohepatosis
Time frame: every 12 months
Pituitary & Reproductive Function
Time frame: every 6-12 months
Ectopic lipid & body composition
Time frame: every 12 months
Bone mineral density & metabolism
Time frame: every 12 months
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 27 Oct 2026.
- Background: PubMed 30847226Malandrino N, Reynolds JC, Brychta RJ, Chen KY, Auh S, Gharib AM, Startzell M, Cochran EK, Brown RJ. Visceral fat does not contribute to metabolic disease in lipodystrophy. Obes Sci Pract. 2019 Jan 24;5(1):75-82. doi: 10.1002/osp4.319. eCollection 2019 Feb.
- Background: PubMed 30237235Meral R, Ryan BJ, Malandrino N, Jalal A, Neidert AH, Muniyappa R, Akinci B, Horowitz JF, Brown RJ, Oral EA. "Fat Shadows" From DXA for the Qualitative Assessment of Lipodystrophy: When a Picture Is Worth a Thousand Numbers. Diabetes Care. 2018 Oct;41(10):2255-2258. doi: 10.2337/dc18-0978.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 28324110Brown RJ, Meehan CA, Cochran E, Rother KI, Kleiner DE, Walter M, Gorden P. Effects of Metreleptin in Pediatric Patients With Lipodystrophy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2017 May 1;102(5):1511-1519. doi: 10.1210/jc.2016-3628.
- NIH Clinical Center Detailed Web PageLink provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Subject level data will be shared upon request after appropriate collaboration agreements are in place.
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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.
Rebecca J Brown, M.D. principal investigator
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A Phase 3 study testing Metreleptin in people with Lipodystrophy and Diabetes, run by National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) 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 3 inclusion and 5 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: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 27 Oct 2026. 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 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
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?
Serum triglycerides (time frame: every 6-12 months). The study lists 2 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 NCT02262832, which also lists 3 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 27 Oct 2026.