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Syphilis FemalePhase 1/2NCT03752112

Trial Evaluating the Clinical Efficacy of Cefixime for Treatment of Early Syphilis in Non-pregnant Women

A Phase 1/2 study testing Cefixime and Benzathine penicillin 2.4 million units in people with Syphilis Female, run by World Health Organization at 1 site in Brazil.

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 The sponsor has not verified this record for over two years, so it may be out of date.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

Hypotheses The antibiotic, Cefixime, for use in non-pregnant women with early syphilis will be efficacious and safe. Primary Objective The primary objective of the study is to demonstrate the efficacy, as measured by a 4 fold decrease in Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR) titer from baseline to 6 months after treatment, with… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older, women only
Conditions the study is for
Syphilis Female
What is being tested?
Cefixime and Benzathine penicillin 2.4 million units
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
180 participants
Where
1 siteBrazil
Study dates
22 Nov 2019to 30 Sep 2021
Phase
Phase 1/2
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
  • Women only
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Female, 18 years of age or older
  • Non-pregnant
  • Able to provide informed consent
  • Test positive for syphilis with a positive TPPA AND an RPR titer equal to or greater than 1:8
  • Non-cephalosporin allergic
  • Non-penicillin allergic
Show all 11Show fewer
  • Agree to be called once a day by study staff to be reminded to take study drug
  • Able to swallow pills
  • Willing to attend follow-up visits at 3, 6, and 9 months after completion of the study treatment
  • Willing to take oral contraceptive or use condom to prevent pregnancy during the study period
  • HIV negative

Who cannot join

  • 1) Female under 18 years of age 2) HIV positive 3) Pregnancy test positive or clinical pregnancy 4) Prior history of syphilis or syphilis treatment within 6 months of study screening 5) Allergy to penicillin or cephalosporins (including allergy to cefixime) 6) In the judgment of the interviewer, has a medical condition or other factor that might affect their ability to follow the protocol 7) Previous enrollment in the study 8) Presenting a condition that would not allow reliable informed consent (alcohol abuse or substance misuse) 9) Lacking mental capacity to give informed consent to participation
  • -

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Melanie M Taylor, MD contact

+41 22 791 2172

mtaylor@who.int

Edna O Kara, MD contact

+41 22 791 2649

karae@who.int

Brazil1 site, 1 recruiting
  • Fortaleza University

    Fortaleza, Ceará

    Alix Araujo, PhD, alix.araujo@hotmail.com

    Ivo Castell Branco Coelho, MD, ivo@ufc.br

    Recruiting

Other trials in Brazil

About this study

Hypotheses The antibiotic, Cefixime, for use in non-pregnant women with early syphilis will be efficacious and safe.

Primary Objective The primary objective of the study is to demonstrate the efficacy, as measured by a 4 fold decrease in Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR) titer from baseline to 6 months after treatment, with Cefixime 400mg taken orally two times a day for 10 consecutive days.

Secondary Objective The secondary objective of the study is to determine the safety, as measured by the number of grade 3 or greater toxicities experienced, using the NIH/NCI toxicity score, during or after treatment with Cefixime 400mg taken orally two times a day for 10 consecutive days.

Read the detailed description

Hypotheses The antibiotic, Cefixime, for use in non-pregnant women with early syphilis will be efficacious and safe.

Primary Objective The primary objective of the study is to demonstrate the efficacy, as measured by a 4 fold decrease in Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR) titer from baseline to 6 months after treatment, with Cefixime 400mg taken orally two times a day for 10 consecutive days.

Secondary Objective The secondary objective of the study is to determine the safety, as measured by the number of grade 3 or greater toxicities experienced, using the NIH/NCI toxicity score (10), during or after treatment with Cefixime 400mg taken orally two times a day for 10 consecutive days.

Methods Study design This is a randomized, non-comparative, open-label study assessing the efficacy and safety of cefixime 400mg taken orally two times a day for 10 consecutive days in non-pregnant women with early syphilis infection.

Study population and enrolment sites Numerous regions of Brazil have experienced increases in syphilis diagnoses during the previous 5 years The study sites were chosen from three cities in three separate regions (states) of Brazil based on: (1) increases in syphilis case reports, (2) access to clinics where patients are screened and treated for syphilis; (3) willingness of clinic sites and staff to participate in this research, and (4) the availability of experienced researchers with experience in studying syphilis to serve as co-investigators.

The study population will include non-pregnant women (ages 18 and over) diagnosed with early syphilis (RPR titers >1:8) recruited from 7 clinics in three cities from three states in Brazil. These include: (1) Three clinics in the city of Fortaleza (Ceara State), coordinated by the University of Fortaleza (UNIFOR): (a) Carlos Ribeiro, (a) Meireles, and (c) Federal University. Syphilis epidemiology for each site in Annex 1. (2) Two University ObGyn Clinics in the city of Pelotas (state of Rio Grande do Sul) (5-6 cases of syphilis/week) a) Ambulatorio de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia - Faculdade de Medicina - Universidade Federal de Pelotas and b) Ambulatorio de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia - Campus da Saúde - Universidade Católica de Pelotas; and (3) Two clinics in Vitoria (State of Espirito Santo): (1) Reference Center for Sexually Transmitted Diseases (http://www.vitoria.es.gov.br/cidadao/centro-de-referencia-em-infeccoes-sexualmente-transmissiveis). (2) Hospital Universitário Cassiano Antonio Moraes - UFES.

Patients identified during standard of care testing with a positive rapid syphilis test and an RPR titer of greater than or equal to 1:8 will be referred to the study and offered enrollment according to the following description.

Non-study clinic-site staff will perform the first screening rapid finger-stick test for syphilis. The rapid syphilis test currently used in these clinics detects both new (acute) infection and old treated infection but does not distinguish between the two. Patients that are positive for the syphilis rapid finger-stick test will be notified by non-study staff of this result and the need for additional testing using the RPR test according to standard of care. Blood will be collected for the confirmatory RPR test by non-study staff. These patients will be notified of RPR results in approximately 3 days to 1 week. The results a confirmed syphilis diagnosis and of the RPR test results for those patients that are eligible for enrolment in the study (RPR >1:8) will be provided by a study nurse. The study will be explained to eligible participants (RPR titer of >1:8) by this study nurse, and if women express interest in participating, informed consent will be obtained. It is expected that an enrolment visit could last approximately 1.5 hours.

Patients that are not eligible for the study (negative RPR or RPR with titer <1:8) will receive syphilis RPR results from non-study staff.

Pregnancy tests will be completed on all potential participants and those that test positive will not be enrolled in the study.

The timing of the recruitment process will depend on the number of women diagnosed with syphilis and who have an RPR titer >1:8 and who consent to participate in the study. It is anticipated that enrollment will take approximately 1 year to complete.

To benchmark the performance of benzathine penicillin in the study population being used for cefixime, The investigators will include a contemporary arm of participants that will receive standard of care treatment with benzathine penicillin according to the Brazil national sexually transmitted infection (STI) treatment guidelines. The investigators will use a ratio of 2 patients receiving cefixime to 1 patient receiving benzathine penicillin.

This non-comparator arm of benzathine penicillin will be included to account for study population differences in terms of stage of disease, history of prior infection, experience of re-infection, experience of serofast state, or other co-factors that could impact serological response. An estimate of performance of this standard of care will be calculated, but this will not be compared directly to the study intervention.

The investigators will enrol 180 eligible women into the study: 120 for the cefixime arm and 60 for the benzathine penicillin arm. It is anticipated that enrollment will take approximately 1 year to complete. Patients will be participating in the study for approximately 9 months. The study is expected to last for approximately two years. Women that are referred to the study but decline enrolment will be treated at the clinic following national STI treatment guidelines for syphilis.

Conditions
Syphilis Female
Being tested
Cefixime, Benzathine penicillin 2.4 million units
Keywords
Syphilis, Women, Cefixime, Brazil, Sexually Transmitted Infection, STI
Medical subject headings
Syphilis, Sexually Transmitted Diseases

What participants receive

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

  • CefiximeDrug

    Also called Intervention

    Cefixime 400mg taken orally two times a day for 10 consecutive days in non-pregnant women with early syphilis infection

  • Benzathine penicillin 2.4 million unitsDrug

    Also called Standard treatment

    Benzathine penicillin 2.4 million units: The investigators will include a contemporary arm of participants that will receive standard of care treatment with Benzathine penicillin 2.4 million units according to the Brazil national STI treatment guidelines. The investigators will use a ratio of 2 patients receiving cefixime to 1 patient receiving benzathine penicillin.This non-comparator arm of benzathine penicillin will be included to account for study population differences in terms of stage of disease, history of prior infection, experience of re-infection, experience of serofast state, or other co-factors that could impact serological response

Study groups in NCT03752112
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
CefiximeExperimentalcefixime 400mg taken orally two times a day for 10 consecutive days in non-pregnant women with early syphilis infection.
Receives: Drug: Cefixime
Benzathine penicillinOtherTo benchmark the performance of benzathine penicillin in the study population being used for cefixime, the investigators will include a contemporary arm of participants that will receive standard of care treatment with benzathine penicillin according to the Brazil national STI treatment guidelines. The investigators will use a ratio of 2 patients receiving cefixime to 1 patient receiving benzathine penicillin.
Receives: Drug: Benzathine penicillin 2.4 million units

What is being measured

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

  1. Quantitative RPR titer change

    RPR titer response at 6 months

    Measured: 6 months following last dose of Cefixime 400 mg

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Number of participants with treatment-related adverse events as assessed by CTCAE with cefixime

    Number of participants with treatment-related adverse events as assessed by CTCAE. Information on side effects will be collected daily for 10 days of administration of cefixime using a pre-established list of most commonly reported side effects and a grade scale will be applied using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events.

    Measured: Daily after the first dose of cefixime 400mg orally through 10 days after the first dose

  2. The number of participants reporting tolerability of cefixime

    Tolerability: The number of participants reporting tolerability of cefixime as measured by quantitative reported experience of common side effects and qualitative experience of tolerance of the regimen as collected through daily questionnaires and an end treatment questionnaire at 14 days after the first dose of cefixime.

    Measured: Daily after the first dose of cefixime 400mg orally through 10 days after the first dose and qualitative overall assessment of tolerability measured via questionnaire 14 days after the first dose of cefixime

Timeline

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

  1. First posted23 Nov 2018
  2. Study start22 Nov 2019
  3. Primary completion30 Mar 2021 (estimated)
  4. Study completion30 Sep 2021 (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 1/2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
This is a Phase 1/2 trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cefixime for use in treating women with acute syphilis. This is a randomized, non-comparative, open label study assessing the efficacy and safety of cefixime 400mg taken orally two times a day for 10 consecutive days in non-pregnant women with early syphilis infection.To benchmark the performance of benzathine penicillin in the study population being used for cefixime, The investigators will include a contemporary arm of participants that will receive standard of care treatment with benzathine penicillin according to the Brazil national STI treatment guidelines. The investigators will use a ratio of 2 patients receiving cefixime to 1 patient receiving benzathine penicillin.
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
180 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03752112
Sponsor's protocol ID
ERC0003096
Status last verified
Jan 2020
First submitted
20 Nov 2018
Last updated
5 Feb 2020
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: Beginning 9 months and ending 24 months following article publication, the supporting information that will be shared for IPD are all data that underlie the results in the publication.

Publications

  • Workowski KA, Bolan GA; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines, 2015. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2015 Jun 5;64(RR-03):1-137.

    PubMed 26042815
  • WHO. WHO guidelines for the treatment of Treponema pallidum (syphilis). http://wwwwhoint/reproductivehealth/publications/rtis/syphilis-treatment-guidelines/en/. 2016.

  • Liang Z, Chen YP, Yang CS, Guo W, Jiang XX, Xu XF, Feng SX, Liu YQ, Jiang G. Meta-analysis of ceftriaxone compared with penicillin for the treatment of syphilis. Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2016 Jan;47(1):6-11. doi: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2015.10.020. Epub 2015 Nov 23.

    PubMed 26724187
  • Norris SJ, Cox DL, Weinstock GM. Biology of Treponema pallidum: correlation of functional activities with genome sequence data. J Mol Microbiol Biotechnol. 2001 Jan;3(1):37-62.

    PubMed 11200228
  • Faulkner RD, Fernandez P, Lawrence G, Sia LL, Falkowski AJ, Weiss AI, Yacobi A, Silber BM. Absolute bioavailability of cefixime in man. J Clin Pharmacol. 1988 Aug;28(8):700-6. doi: 10.1002/j.1552-4604.1988.tb03203.x.

    PubMed 3216036
  • Faulkner RD, Bohaychuk W, Haynes JD, Desjardins RE, Yacobi A, Silber BM. The pharmacokinetics of cefixime in the fasted and fed state. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 1988;34(5):525-8. doi: 10.1007/BF01046715.

    PubMed 3203716
  • Barbee LA, Nayak SU, Blumer JL, O'Riordan MA, Gray W, Zenilman JM, Golden MR, Griffiss JM. A Phase 1 Pharmacokinetic and Safety Study of Extended-Duration, High-dose Cefixime for Cephalosporin-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the Pharynx. Sex Transm Dis. 2018 Oct;45(10):677-683. doi: 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000844.

    PubMed 29624558
  • Rafal'skii VV, Dovgan' EV, Kozyrev IuV, Gustovarova TA, Khlybova SV, Novoselova AV, Filippenko NG, Likhikh DG. [The efficacy and safety of cefixime and amoxicillin/clavulanate in the treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnant women: a randomized, prospective, multicenter study]. Urologiia. 2013 Sep-Oct;(5):24, 26-8. Russian.

    PubMed 24437236
  • Nurse-Findlay S, Taylor MM, Savage M, Mello MB, Saliyou S, Lavayen M, Seghers F, Campbell ML, Birgirimana F, Ouedraogo L, Newman Owiredu M, Kidula N, Pyne-Mercier L. Shortages of benzathine penicillin for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of syphilis: An evaluation from multi-country surveys and stakeholder interviews. PLoS Med. 2017 Dec 27;14(12):e1002473. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002473. eCollection 2017 Dec.

    PubMed 29281619
  • U.S.DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute. Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) Version 4.0 . https://evs.nci.nih.gov/ftp1/CTCAE/CTCAE_4.03/Archive/CTCAE_4.0_2009-05-29_QuickReference_8.5x11.pdf

  • Hook EW 3rd, Behets F, Van Damme K, Ravelomanana N, Leone P, Sena AC, Martin D, Langley C, McNeil L, Wolff M. A phase III equivalence trial of azithromycin versus benzathine penicillin for treatment of early syphilis. J Infect Dis. 2010 Jun 1;201(11):1729-35. doi: 10.1086/652239.

    PubMed 20402591
  • Cao Y, Su X, Wang Q, Xue H, Zhu X, Zhang C, Jiang J, Qi S, Gong X, Zhu X, Pan M, Ren H, Hu W, Wei Z, Tian M, Liu W. A Multicenter Study Evaluating Ceftriaxone and Benzathine Penicillin G as Treatment Agents for Early Syphilis in Jiangsu, China. Clin Infect Dis. 2017 Oct 30;65(10):1683-1688. doi: 10.1093/cid/cix611.

    PubMed 29020150
  • Stafylis C, Keith K, Mehta S, Tellalian D, Burian P, Millner C, Klausner JD. Clinical Efficacy of Cefixime for the Treatment of Early Syphilis. Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Sep 7;73(5):907-910. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab187.

    PubMed 33640982
  • Taylor MM, Kara EO, Araujo MAL, Silveira MF, Miranda AE, Branco Coelho IC, Bazzo ML, Mendes Pereira GF, Pereira Giozza S, Bermudez XPD, Mello MB, Habib N, Nguyen MH, Thwin SS, Broutet N. Phase II trial evaluating the clinical efficacy of cefixime for treatment of active syphilis in non-pregnant women in Brazil (CeBra). BMC Infect Dis. 2020 Jun 10;20(1):405. doi: 10.1186/s12879-020-04980-1.

    PubMed 32522244

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1/2 study testing Cefixime and Benzathine penicillin 2.4 million units in people with Syphilis Female, run by World Health Organization at 1 site in Brazil.

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 11 inclusion and 2 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 5 Feb 2020. 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 Brazil. 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 combined phase mean?

Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.

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?

Results are not available in the source record.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Melanie M Taylor, MD (+41 22 791 2172, mtaylor@who.int), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Quantitative RPR titer change (time frame: 6 months following last dose of Cefixime 400 mg). 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 NCT03752112, which also lists 14 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 5 Feb 2020.

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