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CompletedNCT00863785HAA-NACUpdated Oct 20, 2009

Treatment of Severe Alcoholic Hepatitis With Corticoids Plus N Acetyl Cysteine Versus Corticoids Alone

A Phase 3 interventional study of Corticoids plus N Acetyl Cysteine in Alcoholic Hepatitis, sponsored by Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Amiens. Completed at 13 sites in France. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2009-10-20.

Sponsored by Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Amiens · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
174
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

35% of Acute Alcoholic Hepatitis patients (AAH) do not respond to corticoids and died after 6 months. Chronic alcohol abuse depletes glutathione in the hepatocytes and makes the latter more sensitive to excessive TNFα levels. Re-establishment of a stock of antioxidants by administration of a precursor (N-acetyl cysteine, NAC) in combination with corticoids (C) could make the hepatocytes more resistant and improve survival. The investigators' study's primary endpoint was improvement of survival at 6 months. The secondary endpoints were survival at 1 and 3 months, tolerance of NAC and a drop in blood bilirubin levels at D7

Read the detailed description

AAH patients (Maddrey score > 32 and compatible histological results) should centrally randomized into the C-NAC or C groups. Both groups received 4 weeks of prednisolone treatment, plus NAC for the combination therapy group (D1: 150, 50 and 100 mg/kg in 250, 500 and 1000 mL of 5% glucose-saline (G5%) respectively, at t=30 minutes, 4 and 16 hours; D2 to D5, 100 mg/kg in 1000 mL of G5%). Group C received 1000 mL of G5%, D1-5

02

Conditions studied

  • Alcoholic Hepatitis

Keywords

  • Acute Alcoholic Hepatitis
  • Cirrhosis
  • Alcohol
  • Alcoholic Liver disease
03

In context

Hepatitis, Alcoholic

108 studies on the registry are indexed under Hepatitis, Alcoholic; 23 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 174 is above the median of 60 across 76 interventional studies indexed under Hepatitis, Alcoholic.

Browse Hepatitis, Alcoholic studies →

Lead sponsor

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Amiens is the lead sponsor of 582 studies on the registry; 181 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 65 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

  • Patient consent
  • Chronic alcohol intake in the last 3 to 6 months
  • Maddrey score ≥ 32
  • Liver histology compatible

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Hepato renal syndrome
  • Hepatocarcinoma
  • Recent variceal haemorrhage
  • Recent bacterial infections
  • Other liver diseases associated (HCV, HBV, hemochromatosis, AIH)
  • Cancers or cardiac and respiratory, HIV infection
  • NAC Allergy
  • No patient consent
  • Acetaminophen intoxication
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
174 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Corticoids plus N Acetyl Cysteine

    40 mg/d prednisolone N Acetyl Cysteine infusion 150mg/kg in 30 minutes then 50 mg/kg in 4 h then 100mg/kg in 16 h and finally 100mg/d2 to d5

    Drug: Corticoids plus N Acetyl Cysteine

Interventions

  • DrugCorticoids plus N Acetyl Cysteine

    40 mg/d prednisolone N Acetyl Cysteine infusion 150mg/kg in 30 minutes then 50 mg/kg in 4 h then 100mg/kg in 16 h and finally 100mg/d2 to d5

    Also known as: AAH-NAC study

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Survival at one, three and six months

    Time frame: six months

Secondary outcomes

  1. bilirubin decrease at day seven survival at one and three months nac tolerance side effects

    Time frame: one, three and six months

07

Study locations

13 sites
  • Centre Hospitalier d'Abbeville
    Abbeville, France
  • Centre Hospitalier Beauvais
    Beauvais, 60000, France
  • Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besançon
    Besançon, 25030, France
  • Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Caen
    Caen, 14000, France
  • Centre Hospitalier de Cambrai
    Cambrai, France
  • Centre Hospitalier de Compiègne
    Compiègne, France
  • Centre Hospitalier de Lens
    Lens, France
  • Centre Hospitalier Saint-Antoine
    Paris, France
  • Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Pitié-Salpétrière
    Paris, France
  • Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Reims
    Reims, France
  • Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Rouen
    Rouen, 76031, France
  • Centre Hospitalier de Saint-Quentin
    Saint-Quentin, France
  • Centre Hospitalier de Valenciennes
    Valenciennes, France
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Nguyen-Khac E, Thevenot T, Piquet MA, Benferhat S, Goria O, Chatelain D, Tramier B, Dewaele F, Ghrib S, Rudler M, Carbonell N, Tossou H, Bental A, Bernard-Chabert B, Dupas JL; AAH-NAC Study Group. Glucocorticoids plus N-acetylcysteine in severe alcoholic hepatitis. N Engl J Med. 2011 Nov 10;365(19):1781-9. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1101214. PubMed 22070475 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Oct 20, 2009, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00863785
First posted
Mar 18, 2009
Start date
Apr 2004
Primary completion
Aug 2009
Completion
Sep 2009
Last update
Oct 20, 2009

Study contacts

Phillippe DOMY
study director · Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Amiens

Oversight

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

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