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CompletedNCT00031512Updated Feb 5, 2024

Pleconaril Enteroviral Sepsis Syndrome

A Phase 2 interventional study of Placebo and Pleconaril in Enterovirus Infection, sponsored by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Completed at 25 sites in 2 countries. Open to participants aged 0 Days to 15 Days. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-02-05.

Sponsored by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was Sep 2010, 16 years ago, and no results have been posted to the registry; the sponsor requested a delay in submitting them in Jul 2011.
  • Registered 8 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Jun 2001, registered Mar 2002).
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
61
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
0 Days to 15 Days
Sex
All
01

Study summary

A common group of viruses that infect humans are enteroviruses. Enteroviruses produce illnesses in children which may range from very mild (summer colds) to severe (infections of the brain, liver, and heart). The purpose of this study is to determine if a new drug called pleconaril helps treat babies with enteroviral sepsis. In addition, researchers are attempting to determine a safe and effective dose of pleconaril to help babies with this disease. Infants who are 15 days or younger when diagnosed with enteroviral disease are eligible for this study. Two out of 3 babies will be randomly assigned to receive Pleconaril and the other one out of three will receive a placebo (inactive substitute). Participants will be hospitalized while receiving study medication. Babies will receive standard treatment care for their symptoms and will be observed for their medical progress. Participants may be in the study for up to 2 years.

Read the detailed description

Enteroviral infection is a serious health problem in the newborn infant. Approximately 60-70% of infants diagnosed with enteroviral disease within the first 10 days of life acquire their infection by transmission from the mother at the time of delivery. Congenital infection is rare but often fatal. Perinatal transmission of enteroviral infections in newborn nurseries has also been implicated as an important route of spread of the disease in newborn infants and postnatal transmission of enteroviral infections during seasonal peaks of enterovirus activity occurs commonly. Thus, during periods of high prevalence of enterovirus infection in the community, there are many potential sources of infection both during and after discharge from the nursery, including the mother, other family members, and hospital staff. Approximately 75% of cases of neonatal enteroviral disease carry a benign outcome, with diagnosis and symptomatic treatment in non-intensive care unit settings. For the remainder of patients, more serious consequences can result from systemic enteroviral infection, including meningoencephalitis, cardiovascular collapse, myocarditis, or hepatitis. These last two organ-specific complications carry high mortality rates. Historically, symptom management and supportive care have been the rule in the management of these patients. No specific therapeutic intervention is currently available for the management of these gravely ill neonates. The current study will evaluate the antiviral drug pleconaril as a treatment for enterovial sepsis syndrome. This trial is a multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the virologic efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of pleconaril in the treatment of severe enteroviral sepsis syndrome. Patients will be randomized 2:1 to drug or placebo. For enrollment into this trial, infants must have evidence of severe hepatic involvement, myocardial involvement, and/or consumptive coagulopathy. Their age must be 15 days or less at the time of the onset of disease symptoms. Enrollment will continue until 45 subjects with confirmed enteroviral disease have been enrolled. The primary objective of this investigation is to determine if administration of pleconaril to critically ill neonates with enteroviral sepsis syndrome results in more rapid clearance of virus from various body sites. Other objectives of this study are to assess the safety and pharmacokinetics of this drug in this patient population. The effects of pleconaril on measures of clinical outcome also will be evaluated. These include the degree of inotropic and blood product support required during the acute illness; duration of hospitalization; the time to resolution of residual organ injury; and short-term (at 2 months of age) and long-term (at 1 year of age) survival. The primary endpoint will be the percentage of patients shedding virus (as detected by viral culture) from the oropharynx (i.e. throat) 5 days after beginning study drug. The secondary endpoints will include: duration (in days) of shedding of virus (as detected by viral culture) from the oropharynx, rectum, urine, and serum; change in baseline laboratory abnormalities [aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), bilirubin, platelets, creatinine), reflecting either resolution or progression of enteroviral disease; pleconaril pharmacokinetics; safety; duration (in days) of total hospitalization; survival at 2 months of age; time (in days) to resolution of residual organ-related abnormalities following acute disease; and survival at 1 year of age.

02

Conditions studied

  • Enterovirus Infection

Keywords

  • enteroviral sepsis
  • enterovirus
  • infants
  • Pleconaril
03

In context

Sepsis

1,899 studies on the registry are indexed under Sepsis; 462 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 61 is below the median of 105 across 896 interventional studies indexed under Sepsis.

Browse Sepsis studies →

Lead sponsor

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is the lead sponsor of 2,401 studies on the registry; 179 are open to participants now.

Of its 396 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 294 (74%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
0 Days to 15 Days
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

-Signed informed consent statement by parent or legal guardian. -Age less than or equal to 15 days at time of onset of disease symptoms. Symptoms of systemic illness include but are not limited to fever, irritability, poor feeding, emesis, or diarrhea. Signs of systemic illness include, but are not limited to, jaundice, seizures, or lethargy. -Onset of disease symptoms less than or equal to 10 days (240 hours) prior to administration of first dose of study medication. -Birth weight greater than or equal to 1500 grams. -Gestational age of greater than or equal to 32 weeks. -Suspected or proven enteroviral disease. -One or more of the following three conditions: a. serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) greater than 3 times the upper limit of normal (ULN); b. platelet count less than 100,000 and prothrombin time greater than 1.5 times ULN and positive fibrin split products; c. cardiac shortening fraction less than 25% or cardiac ejection fraction less than 50% as measured by echocardiography.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

-Diagnosis of bacterial or non-enterovirus viral pathogen that can produce the constellation of presenting symptoms, known at the time of study enrollment. -Imminent demise (estimated life expectancy less than 24 hours). -Cyanotic congenital heart lesion. -Alimentary tract abnormalities which may interfere with the absorption of the study drug. These include mechanical obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract, necrotizing enterocolitis, and severe ileus (the definition of which is left to the clinical judgment of the participating investigator). -Infants known to be born to women who are human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive (but HIV testing is not required for study entry). These infants are at known risk of acquiring HIV, which would alter their immune response to other infections, including enteroviral infections. Additionally, they may be receiving antiretroviral and/or antiviral drugs during the time in which the study of pleconaril is being conducted. As such, they will be excluded if the mother's positive HIV status is known at the time of evaluation for study inclusion. If at any point following enrollment it is learned that an infant is HIV positive, however, he/she will be continued on the study protocol.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Triple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator)
Enrollment
61 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Placebo comparator
    Placebo

    Placebo.

    Other: Placebo

  • Experimental
    Pleconaril (VP63843)

    The first dosing cohort received 5 mg/kg/dose oral every 8 hours for 7 days (21 doses) of a 40 mg/mL oral liquid formulation. Subsequent dosing cohorts are receiving 8.5 mg/kg/dose oral every 8 hours for 7 days (21 doses) of a 40 mg/mL oral suspension formulation.

    Drug: Pleconaril

Interventions

  • OtherPlacebo

    Placebo.

  • DrugPleconaril

    5 mg/kg /dose oral every 8 hours for 7 days (21 doses) of a 40 mg/mL oral liquid formulation and 8.5 mg/kg/dose oral every 8 hours for 7 days (21 doses) of a 40 mg/mL oral suspension formulation.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Percentage of patients shedding virus (as detected by viral culture) from the oropharynx (i.e. throat).

    Time frame: 5 days after beginning study drug.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in baseline laboratory abnormalities [aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), bilirubin, platelets, creatinine), reflecting either resolution or progression of enteroviral disease.

    Time frame: Day 1 (at study enrollment), 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14.

  2. Duration (in days) of shedding of virus (as detected by viral culture) from the rectum, oropharynx (i.e. throat), urine and serum.

    Time frame: Day 1 (immediately prior to first dose of study drug), Days 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10 and 14.

  3. Duration (in days) of total hospitalization.

    Time frame: At discharge from hospital.

  4. Pleconaril pharmacokinetics.

    Time frame: Days 1, 3 and 7.

  5. Safety.

    Time frame: After each clinical and safety evaluation during the treatment and follow-up period (through Day 180 +/- 14 days).

  6. Survival at one year of age.

    Time frame: 1 year.

  7. Survival at two months of age.

    Time frame: 2 months.

  8. Time (in days) to resolution of residual organ-related abnormalities following acute disease.

    Time frame: Day(s) from onset of acute disease

07

Study locations

25 sites
  • Children's of Alabama Child Health Research Unit (CHRU)
    Birmingham, Alabama 35233-0011, United States
  • University of Arkansas - Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute
    Little Rock, Arkansas 72202-3500, United States
  • Ronald Reagan University of California Los Angeles Medical Center
    Los Angeles, California 90095-8358, United States
  • Rady Children's Hospital San Diego
    San Diego, California 92123-4223, United States
  • Stanford University - Stanford Hospital and Clinics - Pediatrics - Infectious Diseases
    Stanford, California 94305-2200, United States
  • Children's Hospital Colorado - Infectious Disease
    Aurora, Colorado 80045-7106, United States
  • University of Florida - Shands Children's Hospital
    Gainesville, Florida 32610-0296, United States
  • The University of Chicago - Comer Children's Hospital - Infectious Diseases
    Chicago, Illinois 60637-1425, United States
  • University of Louisville School of Medicine - Norton Children's Hospital - Infectious Diseases
    Louisville, Kentucky 40202-1821, United States
  • Tulane University - Tulane Medical Center - Pediatrics
    New Orleans, Louisiana 70112-2600, United States
  • University of Mississippi - Children's Infectious Diseases
    Jackson, Mississippi 39216-4505, United States
  • Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis - Center for Clinical Studies
    Saint Louis, Missouri 63110-1010, United States
  • University of Nebraska Medical Center - Children's Hospital and Medical Center - Infectious Diseases
    Omaha, Nebraska 68114-4108, United States
  • Childrens Hospital at Saint Peters University Hospital - Allergy, Immunology and Infectious Diseases
    New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901-1766, United States
  • SUNY Upstate Medical University Hospital - Pediatrics
    Syracuse, New York 13210-2342, United States
  • Nationwide Children's Hospital - Infectious Diseases
    Columbus, Ohio 43205-2664, United States
  • Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC - Allergy, Immunology and Infectious Diseases
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213-3320, United States
  • Rhode Island Hospital - Pediatrics
    Providence, Rhode Island 02903-4923, United States
  • Vanderbilt University - Pediatric - Infectious Diseases
    Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0011, United States
  • Parkland Memorial Hospital
    Dallas, Texas 75235-7708, United States
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center - Pediatrics
    Dallas, Texas 75390-9063, United States
  • Cook Children's Infectious Disease Services
    Fort Worth, Texas 76104-2710, United States
  • University of Texas Medical Branch - Pediatrics - Infectious Diseases and Immunology - Galveston
    Galveston, Texas 77555-5302, United States
  • University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio - Pediatrics - Immunology & Infectious Disease
    San Antonio, Texas 78229-3901, United States
  • University of Alberta Hospital - Pediatrics
    Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2B7, Canada
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Feb 5, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00031512
Lead sponsor
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Mar 7, 2002
Start date
Jun 27, 2001
Primary completion
Sep 22, 2010
Completion
Sep 15, 2012
Last update
Feb 5, 2024

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2012. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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