ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT00249574Updated Jan 16, 2017

Bridging Active Heroin Users to Hepatitis C Treatment Using Buprenorphine - 1

An interventional study of Buprenorphine/naloxone and pegInterferon in Hepatitis C and Heroin Dependence, sponsored by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 80 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2017-01-16.

Sponsored by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
10
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
18 Years to 80 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to see whether street-recruited heroin users can be successfully treated for hepatitis C after stabilizing them on buprenorphine.

Read the detailed description

This is a prospective pilot safety study based on the hypothesis that active, street-recruited heroin users can be successfully treated for hepatitis C after stabilization on buprenorphine. Eligible subjects will be actively using heroin and have hepatitis C viremia; screening will occur at street-based sites like syringe exchange programs. Those who are eligible will sign informed consent, and then be asked to attend 3 weekly educational sessions about hepatitis C and addiction as well as undergo an intake interview. After this, subjects will be inducted onto buprenorphine/naloxone combination therapy (Suboxone) and receive this medication for 12-24 weeks. Once reaching the 12-24 week study time point, subjects will have the option of a 12-week Suboxone taper, or instead of undergoing 6-12 months of hepatitis C treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin while being maintained on Suboxone. Once completing hepatitis C treatment, subjects will undergo a 24-week Suboxone taper, or be transitioned to outpatient Suboxone therapy by a medical provider.

02

Conditions studied

  • Hepatitis C
  • Heroin Dependence

Keywords

  • heroin addiction
03

In context

Hepatitis C

1,743 studies on the registry are indexed under Hepatitis C; 97 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 10 is below the median of 72 across 1,223 interventional studies indexed under Hepatitis C.

Browse Hepatitis C studies →

Lead sponsor

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is the lead sponsor of 393 studies on the registry; 19 are open to participants now.

Of its 14 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 6 (43%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 80 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Active heroin or other illicit opioid use
  • Active
  • No medical or psychiatric
  • Able to sign

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • No opiate dependence
  • Age \<18
  • Unable or uninterested in attending weekly group sessions
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Hepatitis C tests

Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.

After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
10 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    pegInterferon

    Open label, observational trial to determine the safety of HCV treatment in active IDUs stabilized on buprenorphine/naloxone

    Drug: Buprenorphine/naloxone · Drug: pegInterferon

Interventions

  • DrugBuprenorphine/naloxone

    Drug pages: Buprenorphine · Naloxone

    Human subjects HIV, HCV

  • intervention drug 1. buprenorphine/naloxone. street-recruited heroin users induced on bup/naloxone for period of 3-6 months, after which the second intervention is offered. intervention drug 2: pegInterferon/ribavirin. subjects interested in initiation treatment for HCV are offered pegInterferon, 180ug SQ/wk and ribavirin, 800-1200 mg daily for the standard duration of HCV treatment as dictated by genotype.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Safety assessments

Secondary outcomes

  1. Effectiveness of medication

  2. Compliance

07

Study locations

1 site
  • O.A.S.I.S.
    Oakland, California 94612, United States
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jan 16, 2017, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00249574
Collaborators
Organization to Achieve Solutions in Substance Abuse (OASIS)
First posted
Nov 7, 2005
Start date
Jun 2003
Primary completion
Mar 2004
Completion
Jun 2006
Last update
Jan 16, 2017

Study contacts

Diana L Sylvestre, M.D.
principal investigator · Organization to Achieve Solutions in Substance Abuse (OASIS)

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Dec 2008. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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Discussion

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Studies of the drugs tested here: Buprenorphine · Naloxone

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