Rituximab in the Treatment of Patients With Bullous Pemphigoid

Bullous Pemphigoid Clinical Trial

Official title:

Rituximab in the Treatment of Patients With Bullous Pemphigoid

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00286325
• Other study ID #: Pro00013763
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 1/Phase 2
• First received: February 1, 2006
• Last updated: April 9, 2013
• Start date: March 2005
• Est. completion date: March 2010

Study information

• Verified date: September 2012
• Source: Duke University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: United States: Institutional Review Board
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This study will determine the safety of treatment of bullous pemphigoid in patients resistant to therapy with systemic corticosteroids, with rituximab plus systemic corticosteroids.

Description:

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune blistering disease characterized clinically by the presence of severely itchy, tense blisters located over the trunk and extremities. BP is the most common of the autoimmune blistering diseases with an incidence of approximately 10 per 1,000,000 population(1;2). In addition, BP occurs more frequently in the elderly. Routine histopathology reveals a sub-epidermal blister most often with large numbers of eosinophils. Direct immunofluorescence of the skin of patients with BP reveals a linear band of C3 and IgG at the basement membrane zone. Examination of the sera of patients shows the presence of a circulating anti-basement membrane zone autoantibody. This antibody has been found to be directed against a 180 kd protein of the basement membrane zone type XVII collagen (BPAg2) and against a 230 kd protein (BPAg1) found in the epidermal hemi-desmosome(3;4).

BP is a severe disease most often requiring therapy with high dose systemic corticosteroids (0.75 - 1.0 mg/kg/day) often for months(5). In addition, relapses are common and the additional use of immunosuppressive drugs such as azathioprine, methotrexate, cyclosporine A and others are needed to minimize the dose of systemic corticosteroids. The 1-year mortality of BP has been estimated to range from 10 - 30%(1;6). Currently treatment of patients with BP consists of initial use of systemic corticosteroids (0.75 - 1.0 mg/kg/day). Control of symptoms and new blister formation is most often achieved within 1 month and systemic corticosteroids are then tapered. As many as 33 - 50% of patients may not be able to be tapered to clinically acceptable levels of systemic corticosteroids, requiring the addition of systemic immunosuppression often with azathioprine. Approximately 66% of patients require long term treatment with immunosuppressive medication to maintain control of their blistering.(5;7;8) The need for long term systemic corticosteroid therapy often with systemic immunosuppression in an elderly population results in a significant morbidity and mortality in patients with BP. New therapeutic interventions that would potentially allow for the more rapid discontinuation of prednisone, avoidance of systemic immuno- suppression and perhaps earlier clinical relapse would be of substantial benefit to patients with BP. The clinical and laboratory data has demonstrated that BP is an autoantibody mediated blistering disease. Taken together these observations suggest that the use of anti-CD20 antibody (Rituxan) may be useful in the treatment of patients with BP. We have previously treated a patient with BP and graft versus host disease with anti-CD20 and anti-CD25 and were able to achieve clinical and serological remission within 4 weeks of initiation of therapy(9). In addition, others and we have successfully utilized Rituxan for the treatment of pemphigus vulgaris, another autoantibody mediated, autoimmune blistering disease(10-15)

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 8
• Est. completion date: March 2010
• Est. primary completion date: March 2010
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Both
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients with autoimmune blistering skin diseases with clinical, histologic and immunological criteria confirming the diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid

• Ongoing disease activity on 17.5 mg/day of prednisone or more

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current use of other immunosuppressive therapy such as azathioprine, cytoxan or mycophenolate mofetil within the last 4 weeks.

Study Design

Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Bullous Pemphigoid
• Pemphigoid, Bullous

Intervention

Drug:
• Rituximab
Infusion of 1000 mg of rituximab on day 0 and day 14

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Duke University Medical Center	Durham	North Carolina

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Duke University	Genentech, Inc.

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (30)

Anolik JH, Campbell D, Felgar RE, Young F, Sanz I, Rosenblatt J, Looney RJ. The relationship of FcgammaRIIIa genotype to degree of B cell depletion by rituximab in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum. 2003 Feb;48(2):455-9. — View Citation

Bernard P, Bedane C, Bonnetblanc JM. Anti-BP180 autoantibodies as a marker of poor prognosis in bullous pemphigoid: a cohort analysis of 94 elderly patients. Br J Dermatol. 1997 May;136(5):694-8. — View Citation

Cooper HL, Healy E, Theaker JM, Friedmann PS. Treatment of resistant pemphigus vulgaris with an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (Rituximab). Clin Exp Dermatol. 2003 Jul;28(4):366-8. — View Citation

Diaz LA, Ratrie H 3rd, Saunders WS, Futamura S, Squiquera HL, Anhalt GJ, Giudice GJ. Isolation of a human epidermal cDNA corresponding to the 180-kD autoantigen recognized by bullous pemphigoid and herpes gestationis sera. Immunolocalization of this protein to the hemidesmosome. J Clin Invest. 1990 Oct;86(4):1088-94. — View Citation

Dupuy A, Viguier M, Bédane C, Cordoliani F, Blaise S, Aucouturier F, Bonnetblanc JM, Morel P, Dubertret L, Bachelez H. Treatment of refractory pemphigus vulgaris with rituximab (anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody). Arch Dermatol. 2004 Jan;140(1):91-6. — View Citation

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Khumalo NP, Murrell DF, Wojnarowska F, Kirtschig G. A systematic review of treatments for bullous pemphigoid. Arch Dermatol. 2002 Mar;138(3):385-9. Review. — View Citation

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Liu Z, Diaz LA, Troy JL, Taylor AF, Emery DJ, Fairley JA, Giudice GJ. A passive transfer model of the organ-specific autoimmune disease, bullous pemphigoid, using antibodies generated against the hemidesmosomal antigen, BP180. J Clin Invest. 1993 Nov;92(5):2480-8. — View Citation

Maloney DG, Grillo-López AJ, Bodkin DJ, White CA, Liles TM, Royston I, Varns C, Rosenberg J, Levy R. IDEC-C2B8: results of a phase I multiple-dose trial in patients with relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. J Clin Oncol. 1997 Oct;15(10):3266-74. — View Citation

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Nousari HC, Anhalt GJ. Pemphigus and bullous pemphigoid. Lancet. 1999 Aug 21;354(9179):667-72. Review. — View Citation

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Reff ME, Carner K, Chambers KS, Chinn PC, Leonard JE, Raab R, Newman RA, Hanna N, Anderson DR. Depletion of B cells in vivo by a chimeric mouse human monoclonal antibody to CD20. Blood. 1994 Jan 15;83(2):435-45. — View Citation

Roujeau JC, Lok C, Bastuji-Garin S, Mhalla S, Enginger V, Bernard P. High risk of death in elderly patients with extensive bullous pemphigoid. Arch Dermatol. 1998 Apr;134(4):465-9. — View Citation

Rzany B, Partscht K, Jung M, Kippes W, Mecking D, Baima B, Prudlo C, Pawelczyk B, Messmer EM, Schuhmann M, Sinkgraven R, Büchner L, Büdinger L, Pfeiffer C, Sticherling M, Hertl M, Kaiser HW, Meurer M, Zillikens D, Messer G. Risk factors for lethal outcome in patients with bullous pemphigoid: low serum albumin level, high dosage of glucocorticosteroids, and old age. Arch Dermatol. 2002 Jul;138(7):903-8. — View Citation

Salopek TG, Logsetty S, Tredget EE. Anti-CD20 chimeric monoclonal antibody (rituximab) for the treatment of recalcitrant, life-threatening pemphigus vulgaris with implications in the pathogenesis of the disorder. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2002 Nov;47(5):785-8. — View Citation

Stanley JR, Hawley-Nelson P, Yuspa SH, Shevach EM, Katz SI. Characterization of bullous pemphigoid antigen: a unique basement membrane protein of stratified squamous epithelia. Cell. 1981 Jun;24(3):897-903. — View Citation

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Szabolcs P, Reese M, Yancey KB, Hall RP, Kurtzberg J. Combination treatment of bullous pemphigoid with anti-CD20 and anti-CD25 antibodies in a patient with chronic graft-versus-host disease. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2002 Sep;30(5):327-9. — View Citation

Venning VA, Wojnarowska F. Lack of predictive factors for the clinical course of bullous pemphigoid. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1992 Apr;26(4):585-9. — View Citation

Wojnarowska F, Kirtschig G, Highet AS, Venning VA, Khumalo NP; British Association of Dermatologists. Guidelines for the management of bullous pemphigoid. Br J Dermatol. 2002 Aug;147(2):214-21. — View Citation

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* Note: There are 30 references in all — Click here to view all references

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Primary Safety Endpoint	The primary safety endpoint is the occurrence of treatment emergent adverse events including infections, infusion reactions and disease progression. These were determined by clinical evaluation and laboratory questions. Disease progression is defined as development of new blisters despite therapy. These are reported as the number of participants with a study related SAE.	1 year	Yes
Secondary	Number of Days to Cessation of New Blister	The first study visit in which patient reported and was confirmed to have no new blister or lesion formation .	1 year	No
Secondary	Systemic Corticosteroid Dose of 25% of Starting Dose or 10 mg/Day by Week 24	Subject systemic corticosteroid dosage at week 24 was 25% of starting dose or 10 mg/day of prednisone or less	24 weeks	No
Secondary	IgG Anti Bullous Pemphigoid (BP) 180 Measured in Units by ELISA at Week 24.	IgG antibodies against BP 180 measured in units (by ELISA) for each participant at week 0 compared to value at week 24,	Week 0 and at 24 weeks	No
Secondary	B Cell Number at Week 24	Peripheral blood B cell number at week 24 compared to B cell number at week 0	Week 0 and at 24 weeks	No