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Hepatitis B, ChronicPhase 4NCT05182463

Peginterferon Treatment Study for Inactive Chronic Hepatitis B Patients

A Phase 4 study testing Peginterferon Alfa-2B and Nucleoside Analogs in people with Hepatitis B, Chronic, run by Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University at 1 site in China.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

There are about 400 million chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection patients worldwide, posing a serious threat to global public health security. In China, HBV infection occured mainly in the perinatal period or infants, and about 10% of patients in the immune tolerance stage spontaneously transit to the immune… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 60 years
Conditions the study is for
Hepatitis B, Chronic
What is being tested?
Peginterferon Alfa-2B and Nucleoside Analogs
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
5,000 participants
Where
1 siteChina
Study dates
8 Jan 2022to 30 Nov 2029
Phase
Phase 4
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 18 to 60 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age 18-60, no gender limitation
  • HBsAg is positive for more than 6 months
  • Hepatitis B e antigen(HBeAg) is negative and anti-HBe is positive
  • Serum HBV DNA is less than 2000 IU/mL
  • Alanine aminotransferase(ALT) and/or Aspartate aminotransferase(AST) is normal
  • No antiviral durg (including nucleos(t)ide analogue and interferon) was used before enrollment
  • Good compliance and voluntarily signed informed consent

Who cannot join

  • Allergic to pegylated interferon α-2b
  • Any indication of liver cirrhosis
  • Coinfection with hepatitis A virus(HAV), hepatitis C virus(HCV), hepatitis D virus(HDV), hepatitis E virus(HEV) or human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)
  • Combined with other liver diseases (including drug-related, alcoholic, autoimmune, genetic metabolic liver diseases, etc.)
  • There are serious lesions in the important organs, such as heart, lung, kidney, brain and fundus
  • Patients with autoimmune diseases, unstable diabetes or thyroid diseases(hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism)
Show all 14Show fewer
  • Confirmed or suspected liver cancer or other malignant tumors
  • Patients after or preparing for organ transplantation
  • Peripheral blood white blood cell count < 3.5×109/L and/or platelet count < 80×109/L
  • Under immunosuppressant treatment
  • Pregnant or planned pregnancy in a short term or lactation patients
  • Alcohol abuse (average alcohol intake is more than 40 g/d in males or 20g/d in women) or drug addicts
  • Present or past history of mental or psychological diseases
  • Other conditions that the investigators deem inappropriate for the study.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Zhishuo Mo, Master contact

+86 13632434363

vbstone@126.com

China1 site, 1 recruiting
  • Department of Infectious Diseases, The Third Affliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University

    Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510630

    Zhi-Liang Gao, Professor, 86-20-85252373, zhilianggao@21cn.com

    Xiang Zhu, Doctor, 86-20-85252372, 0628zhuxiang@163.com

    Recruiting

Other trials in China

About this study

Official title: Real World Study of Peginterferon Alpha-2b Treatment for Inactive Chronic Hepatitis B Patients: E-Cure Study

There are about 400 million chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection patients worldwide, posing a serious threat to global public health security. In China, HBV infection occured mainly in the perinatal period or infants, and about 10% of patients in the immune tolerance stage spontaneously transit to the immune clearance stage every year and become HBeAg-negative chronic HBV infection, resulting in a significant increase in the number of inactive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients.

In recent years, different guidelines have not reached consensus on the need to initiate antiviral therapy for inactive CHB patients: In the guidelines of Asian Pacific Association for The Study of Liver(APASL)-2015 and American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases(AASLD)-2018, antiviral therapy is generally not recommended for this group of patients, and regular outpatient follow-up is recommended. Guideline of European Association for the Study of the Liver(EASL)-2017 suggests that people with a family history of cirrhosis and liver cancer at this stage could be treated with antiviral therapy even if they did not meet the indications of antiviral therapy. According to Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B (version 2019) of China, antiviral therapy is still recommended for some patients with inactive HBsAg carrier status who are HBV DNA positive and meet the treatment indications. Studies have shown that some patients in immune tolerance stage may enter the immune clearance stage and have hepatitis flare. Patients of inactive CHB have the potential to develop HBeAg-negative CHB, and studies of long-term follow-up in this population have indicated the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. With the popularization of the concept of functional cure for chronic hepatitis B, more and more people with inactive CHB have a strong desire for treatment. In recent years, several studies have demonstrated that Pegylated-interferon therapy can achieve high functional cure rate in patients with inactive CHB.

The purpose of this study is to establish a national multi-center, prospective real world study to compare the efficacy of different antiviral treatment regimens for patients with inactive CHB and seek for the factors of functional cure.

Being tested
Peginterferon Alfa-2B, Nucleoside Analogs
Keywords
inactive chronic hepatitis B, functional cure
Medical subject headings
Hepatitis B, Chronic

What participants receive

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

  • Peginterferon Alfa-2BDrug

    Different usage of peginterferon Alfa-2B and/or Nucleos(t)ide analogs in arm/group descriptions are depended on the wishes of the patient and the advice of the attending doctor.

  • Nucleoside AnalogsDrug

    Nucleos(t)ide analogs refer to one of the first-line drugs, including ETV, TDF and TAF.

Study groups in NCT05182463
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Sequential Combination GroupExperimentalOral nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) (Entecavir(ETV), Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate tablets(TDF) or Tenofovir Alafenamide Fumarate(TAF)) is used for 12-24 weeks, followed by combination therapy with peginterferon α-2b. The Maximum course is 96 weeks. Follow-up period is 144 weeks.
Receives: Drug: Peginterferon Alfa-2B; Drug: Nucleoside Analogs
Initial Combination GroupExperimentalNAs combined with peginterferon are used for 12-24 weeks, followed by peginterferon α-2b. The Maximum course is 96 weeks. Follow-up period is 144 weeks.
Receives: Drug: Peginterferon Alfa-2B; Drug: Nucleoside Analogs
Whole-course Combination GroupExperimentalNAs combined with peginterferon are used for a maximum course of 96 weeks. Follow-up period is 144 weeks.
Receives: Drug: Peginterferon Alfa-2B; Drug: Nucleoside Analogs
Peginterferon Monotherapy GroupExperimentalPeginterferon is used for a maximum course of 96 weeks. Follow-up period is 144 weeks.
Receives: Drug: Peginterferon Alfa-2B
NAs Monotherapy GroupExperimentalNAs is used for a maximum course of 96 weeks. Follow-up period is 144 weeks.
Receives: Drug: Nucleoside Analogs

What is being measured

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

  1. HBsAg clearance rate

    HBsAg is detected by Roche or Abbott productions, of which the lower limit is 0.05 IU/ml

    Measured: From date of the beginning of treatment until the date of the end of treatment, assessed up to 96 weeks

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. HBsAg serological conversion rate

    HBsAg is detected by Roche or Abbott productions, of which the lower limit is 0.05 IU/ml

    Measured: From date of the beginning of treatment until the date of the end of treatment, assessed up to 96 weeks

  2. The magnitude of HBsAg decline from baseline

    HBsAg is detected by quantitative assays from Roche or Abbott

    Measured: through treatment completion, an anticipated period of 96 weeks

  3. The magnitude of HBV-DNA decline from baseline and the undetectable rate

    HBV-DNA is detected by assays from Roche or Abbott, of which the lower limit is 15 or 10 IU/ml.

    Measured: through treatment completion, an anticipated period of 96 weeks

  4. HBsAg clearance rate, HBsAg serological conversion rate and maintenance response rate of HBsAg clearance

    HBsAg is detected by Roche or Abbott productions, of which the lower limit is 0.05 IU/ml

    Measured: through follow-up completion, an anticipated period of 144 weeks

Timeline

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

  1. First posted10 Jan 2022
  2. Study start8 Jan 2022
  3. Primary completion13 Dec 2026 (estimated)
  4. Study completion30 Nov 2029 (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 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
5,000 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05182463
Sponsor's protocol ID
[2021]02-373-01
Status last verified
Apr 2025
First submitted
18 Dec 2021
Last updated
1 May 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No: Individual participant data would be available to other researchers with the approval of the ethics committee

Publications

  • Li MH, Xie Y, Zhang L, Lu Y, Shen G, Wu SL, Chang M, Mu CQ, Hu LP, Hua WH, Song SJ, Zhang SF, Cheng J, Xu DZ. Hepatitis B surface antigen clearance in inactive hepatitis B surface antigen carriers treated with peginterferon alfa-2a. World J Hepatol. 2016 May 28;8(15):637-43. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v8.i15.637.

    PubMed 27239256
  • Cao Z, Liu Y, Ma L, Lu J, Jin Y, Ren S, He Z, Shen C, Chen X. A potent hepatitis B surface antigen response in subjects with inactive hepatitis B surface antigen carrier treated with pegylated-interferon alpha. Hepatology. 2017 Oct;66(4):1058-1066. doi: 10.1002/hep.29213. Epub 2017 Aug 26.

    PubMed 28407271
  • Wu F, Lu R, Liu Y, Wang Y, Tian Y, Li Y, Li M, Wang W, Zhang X, Jia X, Dang S. Efficacy and safety of peginterferon alpha monotherapy in Chinese inactive chronic hepatitis B virus carriers. Liver Int. 2021 Sep;41(9):2032-2045. doi: 10.1111/liv.14897. Epub 2021 May 26.

    PubMed 33896094
  • Liu J, Lee MH, Batrla-Utermann R, Jen CL, Iloeje UH, Lu SN, Wang LY, You SL, Hsiao CK, Yang HI, Chen CJ. A predictive scoring system for the seroclearance of HBsAg in HBeAg-seronegative chronic hepatitis B patients with genotype B or C infection. J Hepatol. 2013 May;58(5):853-60. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2012.12.006. Epub 2012 Dec 13.

    PubMed 23246508
  • Huang Y, Qi M, Liao C, Xun J, Zou J, Huang H, Long LY, Chen J, Fan X, Chen R. Analysis of the Efficacy and Safety of PEGylated Interferon-alpha2b Treatment in Inactive Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Carriers. Infect Dis Ther. 2021 Dec;10(4):2323-2331. doi: 10.1007/s40121-021-00511-w. Epub 2021 Aug 4.

    PubMed 34350562
  • Zeng QL, Yu ZJ, Shang J, Xu GH, Sun CY, Liu N, Li CX, Lv J, Liu YM, Liang HX, Li ZQ, Pan YJ, Hu QY, Li W, Zhang DW, Wang FS. Short-term Peginterferon-Induced High Functional Cure Rate in Inactive Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Carriers With Low Surface Antigen Levels. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2020 Jun 3;7(6):ofaa208. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofaa208. eCollection 2020 Jun.

    PubMed 32626791
  • Chang LJ, Hao CQ, Rao GR, Xu LL, Li J, Cheng Y, Zheng LJ, Wu CW, Chen HX, Chen ZR, Lian JQ, Wu SH, Luo LM, Zhang WL, Zhang Y. Recurrence risk factors for chronic hepatitis B virus-infected patients who achieve functional cure with pegylated interferon-alpha-2b-based therapy: a multicenter pilot study. Virol J. 2025 May 19;22(1):146. doi: 10.1186/s12985-025-02761-3.

    PubMed 40390028

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Peginterferon Alfa-2B and Nucleoside Analogs in people with Hepatitis B, Chronic, run by Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University at 1 site in China.

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 14 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 May 2025. 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 China. 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?

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?

Contact Zhishuo Mo, Master (+86 13632434363, vbstone@126.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

HBsAg clearance rate (time frame: From date of the beginning of treatment until the date of the end of treatment, assessed up to 96 weeks). 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 NCT05182463, which also lists 7 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 1 May 2025.

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