ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT00802594Updated Dec 5, 2008

A Trial of DB289 for the Treatment of Stage I African Trypanosomiasis

A Phase 2 interventional study of DB289 in Trypanosomiasis, African, sponsored by Immtech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Completed at 2 sites in 2 countries. Open to participants aged 16 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2008-12-05.

Sponsored by Immtech Pharmaceuticals, Inc · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
30
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
16 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Human African Trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness has made a spectacular return during the last decade, and in many places the demand largely surpasses the capacities of the treatment centers. Treatment of the disease remains unsatisfactory. All currently used drugs must be administered parenterally, treatment is lengthy, and adverse drug reactions frequent. There are currently no drugs which might be used as a tool to support disease control that is easily administered and has low toxicity.

This study aims to assess the efficacy of DB289, a new, oral drug for treatment of first stage sleeping sickness. The project will be executed in the framework of an international consortium consisting of more than a dozen partners from academia, industry, and the Ministries of Health of Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Read the detailed description

This is a single-center, open label, non-controlled Phase IIa trial. Patients with first stage T.b. gambiense sleeping sickness will receive 100 mg of DB289 orally twice a day for 5 days. Subjects meeting entry criteria will be enrolled at a single site.

A total of 30 patients will be enrolled in this trial. Enrollment is planned to begin third quarter 2001 and be completed in 2-3 months.

The study will be conducted at the Trypanosomiasis Reference Center, Viana (ICCT), Angola, and at the Trypanosomiasis Treatment Center in Maluku, Congo.

02

Conditions studied

  • Trypanosomiasis, African

Keywords

  • first stage
  • T.b. gambiense
  • sleeping sickness
  • Patients with first stage T.b. gambiense sleeping sickness
03

In context

Trypanosomiasis, African

26 studies on the registry are indexed under Trypanosomiasis, African; 1 is open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 30 is below the median of 155 across 24 interventional studies indexed under Trypanosomiasis, African.

Browse Trypanosomiasis, African studies →

Lead sponsor

Immtech Pharmaceuticals, Inc 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 and older
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

  1. The patient has early stage T. b. gambiense infection i.e. parasitologically confirmed infection in the blood or lymph and less than or equal to 5 WBC mm-3 detected in the CSF by microscopic examination
  2. Patient is 16 years old or more
  3. Patient has a minimal weight of 45 kilograms
  4. If patient is female of child bearing potential (a women will be considered of non-child bearing potential only if she has been post menopausal for over 2 years or has had a hysterectomy), she is not lactating, she had a negative urine pregnancy test result within 24 hours prior to DB289 treatment and she agrees to use a medically proven method of (abstinence from sexual intercourse acceptable) from the day of consent on until 7 Days after DB289 treatment completion (Study Day 12).
  5. Patient has signed the . If the patient is minor, a legal guardian has signed the Informed Consent

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. The patient has late stage T.b. gambiense infection i.e. presence of parasite in the CSF upon microscopic examination, or a positive (titer greater than 1/4) latex / IgM test, or a positive latex / T.b.g.
  2. Active medical conditions that in the Investigator opinion may jeopardize subject safety or interfere with participation in the study, including but not limited to: significant liver diseases, chronic pulmonary diseases, significant cardiovascular diseases or significant anomaly such as elongated (corrected) interval above 430 msec for men or above 450 msec for women, diabetes, thyroid diseases, gout, infection including known infection, CNS trauma or seizure disorders.
  3. Clinically significant abnormal laboratory value at screening including:

    • > 1.25 times (ULN)
    • Liver enzyme and ALT > 2 times ULN
    • Total > 1.5 times ULN
    • Serum Creatinine > 1.5 times ULN
  4. Traumatic lumbar puncture (i.e. red blood cells visible in CSF)
  5. Coma Score of less than 9 on the Glasgow Coma Scale (Appendix 8)
  6. Withdrawal of consent at any time during the study
  7. Any condition which compromises ability to communicate with the investigator as required for the completion of this study.
  8. The subject has been previously treated for African Trypanosomiasis.
  9. The subject has been previously enrolled in the study.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(10)

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.

Contraception

Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.

Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.

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.

Clinically significant

Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.

ECG (electrocardiogram)

A recording of the heart’s electrical activity, taken with stickers on the chest, arms and legs. It takes a few minutes and does not hurt.

QT and QTc

On an ECG, the QT interval is the time the heart’s lower chambers take to activate electrically and recover in each beat. QTc is that time adjusted for heart rate (QTcF by Fridericia’s formula, QTcB by Bazett’s). Some medicines lengthen it, and a long QTc can raise the risk of a dangerous heart rhythm.

The study may name a correction formula and a limit in milliseconds, often around 450–480.

HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.

Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.

INR, PT and aPTT (clotting tests)

Blood tests of how long blood takes to clot. The INR is the prothrombin time (PT) put on a common scale; about 1 is usual for someone not taking a blood thinner.

Criteria often make an exception for people on a blood thinner such as warfarin, whose INR is raised on purpose.

ULN (upper limit of normal)

The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.

“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.

ALT and AST (liver enzymes)

Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.

Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.

Bilirubin

A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.

Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
30 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    DB289

    Drug: DB289

Interventions

  • DrugDB289

    A single 100 mg DB289 capsule will be taken by mouth twice a day, morning and evening. Drug is to be taken with a glass of water within 15 minutes of the completion of meal.

    Also known as: pafuramidine maleate

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. The primary efficacy endpoint is the parasitological cure 24 hours after completion of treatment.

    Time frame: Day 7

  2. The primary outcome measure for safety analysis will be the rate of occurrence of Grade 3 or higher adverse events during the observation period.

    Time frame: Day 12

Secondary outcomes

  1. A secondary endpoint is the parasitological cure 3, 6, 12, 24 months after completion of treatment.

    Time frame: 3, 6, 12, 24 months

  2. The secondary outcome measure will be the incidence rate of adverse events (all Grades combined) during the observation period (as compared to literature values for pentamidine).

    Time frame: Day 12

07

Study locations

2 sites
  • Laboratory of Reference and Investigation, Viana, ICCT
    Bairro Ingombota, Luanda CP 2657-C, Angola
  • Programme National de Lutte contre la Trypanosomiase
    Kinshasa, Gombe, Congo
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Burri C, Yeramian PD, Allen JL, Merolle A, Serge KK, Mpanya A, Lutumba P, Mesu VK, Bilenge CM, Lubaki JP, Mpoto AM, Thompson M, Munungu BF, Manuel F, Josenando T, Bernhard SC, Olson CA, Blum J, Tidwell RR, Pohlig G. Efficacy, Safety, and Dose of Pafuramidine, a New Oral Drug for Treatment of First Stage Sleeping Sickness, in a Phase 2a Clinical Study and Phase 2b Randomized Clinical Studies. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2016 Feb 16;10(2):e0004362. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004362. eCollection 2016 Feb. PubMed 26881924 ↗
09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
Not marked actual or estimatedDates not marked actual or estimated

The record gives a start of Aug 2001, a primary completion of Aug 2002 and a completion of Nov 2004. It does not say whether these dates are actual or estimated.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Dec 3, 2008
First posted
Dec 5, 2008
Start
Aug 2001
Primary completionActual
Aug 2002
CompletionActual
Nov 2004
Last update
Dec 5, 2008
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Dec 5, 2008, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00802594
Lead sponsor
Immtech Pharmaceuticals, Inc
Collaborators
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
First posted
Dec 5, 2008
Start date
Aug 2001
Primary completion
Aug 2002
Completion
Nov 2004
Last update
Dec 5, 2008

Study contacts

Christian Burri, MSc, PhD
study director · Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
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 drug tested here: Pafuramidine

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