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CompletedNCT00755859Updated Sep 19, 2008

"Steroids and Azathioprine Versus Steroids Alone in IgAN"

A Phase 4 interventional study of steroids plus azathioprine and steroids in IGA Nephropathy, sponsored by A. Manzoni Hospital. Completed at 28 sites in 2 countries. Open to participants aged 16 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2008-09-19.

Sponsored by A. Manzoni Hospital · Phase 4, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
206
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
16 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

In a previous trial the investigators found that the effect of steroids in IgA nephropathy diminish over time. The difference in renal survival is striking up till the third year, but then remains constant. A six-month course of steroid therapy may be not enough to ensure a stable remission. The investigators hypothesized that a more aggressive treatment may obtain long-term better results. The investigators conducted a randomised controlled trial to assess the utility of low-dose azathioprine added to steroids in adult IgAN patients.

Read the detailed description

In 1999, we published a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial, which compared a 6-month steroid course with supportive therapy in 86 patients with IgAN. After 5 years of follow-up, the risk of a 50% increase in plasma creatinine from baseline was significantly lower in the treated patients; proteinuria also decreased. However, the effect of steroids seemed to diminish over time. The difference in renal survival was particularly striking up till the third year, but then remained constant. We hypothesised that a six-month course of steroid therapy is not enough to ensure a stable remission, and a more aggressive treatment may be required to obtain long-term better results. At this regard, some studies of combined treatment with corticosteroids and azathioprine found that treatment was effective in preserving renal function and in reducing proteinuria. However, these studies did not clarify whether azathioprine added further benefit to steroids in the long term. We conducted a randomised controlled trial to assess the utility of low-dose azathioprine added to steroids in adult IgAN patients.

02

Conditions studied

  • IGA Nephropathy

Keywords

  • IgA nephropathy
  • steroids
  • azathioprine
  • chronic kidney disease progression
  • proteinuria
03

In context

Glomerulonephritis, IGA

275 studies on the registry are indexed under Glomerulonephritis, IGA; 107 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 206 is above the median of 62 across 221 interventional studies indexed under Glomerulonephritis, IGA.

Browse Glomerulonephritis, IGA studies →

Lead sponsor

A. Manzoni Hospital is the lead sponsor of 5 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
16 Years to 70 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

  • proven IgA nephropathy
  • creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dl for at least three months
  • proteinuria ≥ 1.0 g/day for at least three months

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • treatment with or cytotoxic drugs during the previous three years
  • to steroids or azathioprine
  • Henoch-Schöenlein purpura
  • diabetes mellitus
  • severe hypertension (diastolic blood pressure > 120 mmHg)
  • lupus erythematosus systemicus
  • active peptic-ulcer disease
  • pregnancy
  • viral hepatitis or other infections
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(4)

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.

Biopsy and archival tissue

A biopsy takes a small piece of tissue to examine. “Archival tissue” is a sample already taken, for example at diagnosis, and kept by the hospital.

Whether a stored sample will do depends on when it was taken, how much there is and what the study needs. Ask whether the study accepts your stored sample or needs a new biopsy.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

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.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
206 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    1

    Six month steroid course plus azathioprine

    Drug: steroids plus azathioprine

  • Active comparator
    2

    six month steroid course

    Drug: steroids

Interventions

  • Drugsteroids plus azathioprine

    Drug pages: Steroids · Azathioprine

    methylprednisolone 1 g i.v. for three consecutive days at the beginning of months 1, 3 and 5, followed by oral prednisone 0.5 mg/kg every other day plus azathioprine 1.5 mg/kg/day for six months

    Also known as: solumedrol, deltacortene, azatioprina

  • methylprednisolone 1 g i.v. for three consecutive days at the beginning of months 1, 3 and 5, followed by oral prednisone 0.5 mg/kg every other day for six months

    Also known as: solumedrol, deltacortene

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. progression of renal disease, estimated by the time to 50% increase in plasma creatinine from baseline.

    Time frame: Every month for the first six months, then six months

Secondary outcomes

  1. evolution of proteinuria over time

    Time frame: every months for the first six months and then every six months

  2. safety

    Time frame: every months for the first six months and then every six months

07

Study locations

28 sites
  • Hospital "Bolognini"
    Seriate, BG, Italy
  • Hospital of Montichiari
    Montichiari, Brescia, Italy
  • Hospital "S.Anna"
    Como, CO 22100, Italy
  • Hospital "Istituti Ospitalieri"
    Cremona, CR, Italy
  • Hospital "S.Marta e S.Venera",
    Acireale, CT, Italy
  • Hospital "S.Vincenzo"
    Taormina, CT, Italy
  • Department of Nephrology and Dialysis, A. Manzoni Hospital
    Lecco, LC 23900, Italy
  • Hospital "Maggiore"
    Lodi, LO, Italy
  • Hospital "Uboldo"
    Cernusco sul Naviglio, MI, Italy
  • Hospital of Desio
    Desio, MI, Italy
  • Hospital "Maggiore" IRCCS
    Milano, MI, Italy
  • Hospital "A.Segni"
    Ozieri, Nuoro, Italy
  • Hospital "Spedali Civili"
    Brescia, Italy
  • "G. Brotzu" Hospital
    Cagliari, Italy
  • Hospital "Cannizzaro"
    Catania, Italy
  • Hospital "Careggi"
    Firenze, Italy
  • Hospital of University
    Foggia, Italy
  • Hospital "C. Poma"
    Mantova, Italy
  • Hospital "S. Francesco"
    Nuoro, Italy
  • Hospital "V. Cervello"
    Palermo, Italy
  • University Hospital
    Parma, Italy
  • Fondazione Maugeri" IRCCS
    Pavia, Italy
  • CNR-IBIM
    Reggio Calabria, Italy
  • Hospital "S. Maria Nuova"
    Reggio Emilia, Italy
  • Hospital of Sondrio
    Sondrio, Italy
  • CMID
    Torino, Italy
  • Hospital "Belcolle"
    Viterbo, Italy
  • Inselspital
    Bern, Switzerland
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Locatelli F, Pozzi C, Del Vecchio L, Andrulli S, Pani A, Fogazzi G, Altieri P, Ponticelli C. Combined treatment with steroids and azathioprine in IgA nephropathy: design of a prospective randomised multicentre trial. J Nephrol. 1999 Sep-Oct;12(5):308-11. PubMed 10630693 ↗
09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 19, 2008, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00755859
Lead sponsor
A. Manzoni Hospital
First posted
Sep 19, 2008
Start date
May 1998
Primary completion
Dec 2004
Completion
Sep 2007
Last update
Sep 19, 2008

Study contacts

Claudio Pozzi, MD
principal investigator · A Manzoni Hospital, Lecco, Italy
Francesco Locatelli, MD
study chair · A Manzoni Hospital, Lecco, Italy
Simeone Andrulli, MD
study director · A Manzoni Hospital, Lecco, Italy
Antonello Pani, MD
study director · Hospital "G. Brotzu", Cagliari, Italy
Paolo Altieri, MD
study director · Hospital "G. Brotzu", Cagliari, Italy
Gian B Fogazzi, MD
study director · Hospital "Maggiore" IRCCS, Milan, Italy
Claudio Ponticelli, MD
study director · Hospital "Maggiore" IRCCS, Milan, Italy

Oversight

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

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Studies of the drugs tested here: Steroids · Azathioprine

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