A Study to Evaluate Rebif® New Formulation (Interferon-beta-1a) in Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting Clinical Trial

— IMPROVE  

Official title:

A Two-arm, Randomized, Double-blind, Control Group-compared, Multicenter, Phase IIIb Study With Monthly MRI and Biomarker Assessments to Evaluate the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Rebif® New Formulation (IFN Beta-1a) in Subjects With Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00441103
• Other study ID #: 27178
• Secondary ID: 2006-003037-32
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 3
• First received: February 26, 2007
• Last updated: June 6, 2014
• Start date: December 2006
• Est. completion date: February 2009

Study information

• Verified date: June 2014
• Source: Merck KGaA
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: Bulgaria: Bulgarian Drug AgencyCanada: Health CanadaEstonia: The State Agency of MedicineGermany: Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical DevicesItaly: Ethics CommitteeLithuania: State Medicine Control Agency - Ministry of HealthRomania: National Medicines AgencyRussia: Ministry of Health of the Russian FederationSerbia and Montenegro: Agency for Drugs and Medicinal DevicesSpain: Ministry of Health and ConsumptionSwitzerland: Swissmedic
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

General Note: throughout this record, "Rebif® New Formulation" is used for historical and consistency purposes.

Objectives:

Primary: To evaluate the efficacy of Rebif® New Formulation (Interferon-beta-1a [IFN-beta-1a], RNF), compared to placebo, in subjects with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis and active disease by means of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) at the end of 16 weeks of treatment Secondary: To evaluate the efficacy of RNF by comparing the mean number of combined unique (CU) lesions per scan per subject between the initial 16 weeks of placebo treatment and 24 weeks of RNF treatment in the same subjects, originally randomized to placebo.

Primary Endpoints: The primary endpoint is the difference between the number of CU active MRI lesions at Week 16 in the RNF group (Group 1) versus the placebo group (Group 2).

Secondary Endpoints: The secondary endpoint is the difference in the mean number of CU active MRI lesions per scan per subject over the following treatment periods: Study Day 1 - Week 16 versus Weeks 17 - 40 for the subjects randomized to Group 2.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 180
• Est. completion date: February 2009
• Est. primary completion date: November 2008
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Both
• Age group: 18 Years to 60 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Males and females between 18 and 60 years of age

• Female subjects must be neither pregnant nor breast-feeding and must lack child-bearing potential, as defined by either: post-menopausal or surgically sterile or use an effective method of contraception for the duration of the study

• Have Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) according to the revised McDonald criteria 2005

• Have brain and/or spinal MRI with findings typical of Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

• Have disease duration for more than 12 months

• Have disease activity characterized by at least one clinical event and one or more Gadolinium-enhancing MRI lesions within the 6 months prior to randomization

• Have score of <=5.5 on the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS)

• Be willing and able to comply with the protocol for the duration of the study

• Have given written informed consent prior to any study-related procedure not part of the normal medical practice

Exclusion Criteria:

• Have any disease other than MS that could better explain his/her signs and symptoms

• Have complete transverse myelitis or bilateral optic neuritis

• Have received or have used anytime monoclonal antibodies, mitoxantrone, cytotoxic or immunosuppressive therapy (excluding systemic steroids and adrenocorticotrophic hormone [ACTH]), or total lymphoid irradiation

• Have received within 3 months prior to baseline any approved disease-modifying therapy for MS, cytokine or anti-cytokine therapy, intravenous immunoglobulin, plasmapheresis, any investigational drug, or experimental procedure

• Have received within 30 days prior to baseline oral or systemic corticosteroids or ACTH

• Other protocol defined exclusion criteria could apply

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Factorial Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Investigator), Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Multiple Sclerosis
• Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting
• Sclerosis

Intervention

Drug:
• Rebif® New Formulation (IFN-beta-1a, RNF)
RNF will be administered at a dose of 44 mcg subcutaneously three times a week for 40 weeks.
• Placebo
Matching placebo will be administered subcutaneously three times a week for 16 weeks.
• Rebif® New Formulation (IFN-beta-1a, RNF)
RNF will be administered at a dose of 44 mcg subcutaneously three times a week from Week 17 to Week 40.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
n/a

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Merck KGaA

References & Publications (2)

De Stefano N, Curtin F, Stubinski B, Blevins G, Drulovic J, Issard D, Shotekov P, Gasperini C; IMPROVE Study Investigators. Rapid benefits of a new formulation of subcutaneous interferon beta-1a in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler. 2010 — View Citation

De Stefano N, Sormani MP, Stubinski B, Blevins G, Drulovic JS, Issard D, Shotekov P, Gasperini C. Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous interferon ß-1a in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: further outcomes from the IMPROVE study. J Neurol Sci. 2012 Ja — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Number of Combined Unique (CU) Active Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Lesions at Week 16	CU active lesions were defined as a unique newly active or persistently active lesion on the protocol density/time constant 2 (PD/T2) scan or the gadolinium (Gd-) enhanced time constant 1 (T1) scan (with a method to avoid double counting).	16 Weeks	No
Primary	Number of Participants With Adverse Events (AEs) and Serious Adverse Events (SAEs)	An adverse event (AE) was defined as any new untoward medical occurrences/worsening of pre-existing medical condition without regard to possibility of causal relationship. A serious adverse event (SAE) was an AE that resulted in any of the following outcomes: death; life threatening; persistent/significant disability/incapacity; initial or prolonged inpatient hospitalization; congenital anomaly/birth defect. AEs were categorized based upon the treatment period during which they occurred, that is, double-blind period (up to Week 16) and rater-blind period (Week 17 up to Week 40).	Baseline up to Week 40	Yes
Secondary	Mean Number of CU Lesions Per Scan Between the Initial 16 Weeks of Placebo Treatment and 24 Weeks of RNF Treatment in the Same Participants, Originally Randomized to Placebo.	CU active lesions were defined as a unique newly active or persistently active lesion on the PD/T2 scan or the gadolinium enhanced T1 scan (with a method to avoid double counting). Only "Placebo Followed by RNF" arm was evaluable for this outcome measure.	Day 1 up to Week 16 and Week 17 up to Week 40	No
Secondary	Number of CU Active MRI Lesions	CU active lesions were defined as a unique newly active or persistently active lesion on the PD/T2 scan or the gadolinium enhanced T1 scan (with a method to avoid double counting).	Up to Week 40	No

External Links

•   Full FDA approved prescribing information can be found here