Study of Etanercept (Enbrel) in the Treatment of Pemphigus Vulgaris

Pemphigus Vulgaris Clinical Trial

Official title:

A Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Study of Etanercept (Enbrel) in the Treatment of Pemphigus Vulgaris

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00135720
• Other study ID #: 2004-P-002142
• Secondary ID: 79639
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2
• First received: August 24, 2005
• Last updated: June 2, 2015
• Start date: June 2004
• Est. completion date: November 2007

Study information

• Verified date: May 2008
• Source: Massachusetts General Hospital
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: United States: Food and Drug Administration
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of the study is to find out about the effectiveness and the safety of an investigational drug called etanercept (Enbrel) to treat pemphigus vulgaris. Pemphigus vulgaris is a potentially life threatening blistering condition that currently has no cure.

An investigational drug is one that has not been approved by the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat a particular condition or disease. Etanercept has been approved by the FDA to treat rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis, but not pemphigus vulgaris.

Description:

People with pemphigus vulgaris have been found to have an increased amount of a substance called tumor-necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in their blood. Etanercept may control pemphigus vulgaris by blocking the effect of TNF-alpha. Patients diagnosed with pemphigus vulgaris have been asked to participate in this research study.

Enrolled subjects will be given either etanercept or placebo. A placebo looks just like the study drug but contains no active medication. Placebos help study doctors find out if the effects of the study drug are due to the drug itself or just because of being in the study. This type of study design helps measure the true effectiveness of a treatment. Patients have 2 chances in 3 of receiving etanercept and 1 chance in 3 of receiving placebo.

The researchers expect to enroll 24 subjects in this study. Up to 16 subjects will be enrolled at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

This study is sponsored by Amgen, Inc., the manufacturer of etanercept.

If taking part in another research study or have taken part in a research study in the last 28 days, patients will not be able to take part in this study. Patients cannot be on multiple studies simultaneously; however, exceptions are made for non-invasive, non-interventional, and observational studies.

This study will last about 16 weeks with a total of 6 study visits: screening, week 0 (baseline), weeks 2, 4, 8 and 16. The participants will be able to continue on your current medications for pemphigus throughout the study.

All participants must be at least 18 years of age with a clinical diagnosis of pemphigus vulgaris and at least 6 active blisters or erosions. Neither pregnant nor nursing women will be included in the study.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 12
• Est. completion date: November 2007
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Both
• Age group: 18 Years to 65 Years

Eligibility

Summary Inclusion Criteria:

• Understand and sign the written informed consent form and be willing and able to comply with the procedures of the study

• Have a clinical diagnosis of pemphigus vulgaris

• Have at least 6 active pemphigus lesions (blisters or erosions)

• Have no adverse effects due to combining etanercept with concurrent pemphigus medications

• Be on stable dose of current pemphigus medications for at least one month

• Females of child-bearing potential must have a negative urine pregnancy test prior to treatment and agree to practice an acceptable method of birth control (oral contraceptives, hormonal implant devices, Depo-Provera, condom with spermicide, diaphragm with contraceptive cream or foam, or intrauterine device) during the course of the study

• Be at least 18 years old at time of enrollment

• Be able to adhere to the study visit schedule and other protocol requirements

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double-Blind, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Pemphigus
• Pemphigus Vulgaris

Intervention

Drug:
• Enbrel (Etanercept)

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Clinical Unit for Research Trials in Skin	Boston	Massachusetts

Sponsors (3)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Massachusetts General Hospital	Brigham and Women's Hospital, Stanford University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (7)

Alecu M, Alecu S, Coman G, Galatescu E, Ursaciuc C. ICAM-1, ELAM-1, TNF-alpha and IL-6 in serum and blister liquid of pemphigus vulgaris patients. Roum Arch Microbiol Immunol. 1999 Apr-Jul;58(2):121-30. — View Citation

Alpsoy E, Yilmaz E, Basaran E, Yazar S, Cetin L. Is the combination of tetracycline and nicotinamide therapy alone effective in pemphigus? Arch Dermatol. 1995 Nov;131(11):1339-40. — View Citation

Berookhim B, Fischer HD, Weinberg JM. Treatment of recalcitrant pemphigus vulgaris with the tumor necrosis factor alpha antagonist etanercept. Cutis. 2004 Oct;74(4):245-7. — View Citation

D'Auria L, Bonifati C, Mussi A, D'Agosto G, De Simone C, Giacalone B, Ferraro C, Ameglio F. Cytokines in the sera of patients with pemphigus vulgaris: interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha levels are significantly increased as compared to healthy subjects and correlate with disease activity. Eur Cytokine Netw. 1997 Dec;8(4):383-7. — View Citation

Goldstein BG and Goldstein AO. Pemphigus and bullous pemphigoid. UpToDate.

Sacher C, Rubbert A, König C, Scharffetter-Kochanek K, Krieg T, Hunzelmann N. Treatment of recalcitrant cicatricial pemphigoid with the tumor necrosis factor alpha antagonist etanercept. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2002 Jan;46(1):113-5. — View Citation

Stanley JR. Pemphigus. In Fizpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine, 6th edition. Eds. Freedberg IM, Eisen AZ, Wolff K, Austen KF, et al. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 558-567.

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Determine the mean time (in days) it takes to reduce active lesions, including blisters and erosions, by 50%
Primary	Determine whether etanercept is a possible steroid-sparing treatment option. This will be determined by tapering the patient's existing steroid dose once our primary endpoint has been reached.

External Links

•   CURTIS website