ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT01061593Updated May 20, 2015

Adjunct Immunotherapy With Immunoxel in Patients With TB and TB/HIV

A Phase 3 interventional study of Immunoxel and Placebo in Tuberculosis and HIV, sponsored by Lisichansk Regional Tuberculosis Dispensary. Completed at 2 sites in 2 countries. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2015-05-20.

Sponsored by Lisichansk Regional Tuberculosis Dispensary · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
269
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Dzherelo (Immunoxel) is an oral immunomodulating botanical agent available over-the-counter in Ukraine. After many years of laboratory and clinical testing the formulation was approved in 1997 by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine as a dietary herbal supplement, which enhances immunity against viral and infectious diseases. The goal of this study is to conduct confirmatory clinical trial in Ukraine and Mongolia for TB indications.

Read the detailed description

Phase III, placebo-controlled trial, aimed to seek the therapeutic benefit of Immunoxel in combination with standard of care anti-TB therapy (ATT) at the end of the 1-month period (p\<0.05) among subjects with sputum-positive pulmonary TB. The results will be compared to standard ATT therapy + placebo. The trial will consist of one stage with laboratory evaluation after one month. Two cohorts or arms of at least 150 subjects each (total 300) with pulmonary TB positive for sputum AFB smear will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive once-daily, honey lozenge of Immunoxel in combination with standard ATT for 1 month. Patients who receive standard ATT + placebo preparation will be used as a group of comparison.

02

Conditions studied

03

In context

Tuberculosis

1,170 studies on the registry are indexed under Tuberculosis; 175 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 269 is above the median of 150 across 820 interventional studies indexed under Tuberculosis.

Browse Tuberculosis studies →

Lead sponsor

Lisichansk Regional Tuberculosis Dispensary is the lead sponsor of 3 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
18 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

  • Subjects who are at least 18 years and are willing and capable of providing . Both men and non-pregnant women will be included. One group of at least 30 patients will have . Another group of at least 30 patients will have MDR-TB. Another group of at least 30 patients will have XDR-TB Remaining patients will have drug-sensitive TB. They will be randomly assigned to placebo at 1:1 ratio.
  • TB infection documented prior to Study Entry by sputum smear positive staining for acid-fast bacilli (AFB).
  • Agreement to participate in the study and to give a sample of blood for HIV testing if required.
  • Readily available home or other address where patient can be easily found at follow-up studies.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects who have already taken Immunoxel in prior trials and those without sufficient baseline data. Those who met inclusion criteria can be retrospectively enrolled. Those who are re-treated and will be eligible as long as they are on the same drug regimen as the rest of patients. Pregnant or breast-feeding women are excluded.
  • Subjects who have taken anti-retroviral drugs or immunomodulatory therapies within 2 months prior to Entry: systemic , immune globulin (IV gamma globulin, IVIG), interferons, interleukins, pentoxifylline (Trental), thalidomide, filgrastim (G-CSF), sargramostim (GM-CSF); dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB), thymosin alpha 1 (thymosin alpha), thymopentin, inosiplex (Isoprinosine), polyribonucleoside (Ampligen), ditiocarb sodium (Imuthiol), any locally available immune modulators, and any other therapeutic or preventive vaccine. Subjects requiring concurrent participation in another experimental research treatment study, or who received an experimental agent within four weeks prior to Study Entry.
  • History of angina, cardiac arrhythmias, abnormalities, or congestive heart failure. Evidence of active or acute cardiac disease, concomitant hypertension, epilepsy, or serious forms of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis.
  • History of , other than minimal Kaposi sarcoma or other localized skin cancer (e.g. \<10 cutaneous lesions, no evidence of visceral KS, etc.), or who have had prior cancer chemotherapy.
  • Medical conditions that in the opinion of the local investigator, may obscure the proper observation of the safety or activity of the study treatment; including any acute medical condition of unknown etiology or recent surgery prior to Entry.
  • Medical conditions such as active alcohol or substance abuse, or psychological issues that in the opinion of the local investigator, would interfere with adherence to the requirements of this study.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(7)

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.

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.

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.

Relapsed and refractory

Relapsed: the illness came back after treatment had worked. Refractory: it did not respond to treatment, or stopped responding while still on it.

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.

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.

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 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
269 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    ATT+Immunoxel

    TB patients with DS-TB, MDR-TB, XDR-TB or TB-HIV on standard ATT + Immunoxel honey lozenge once per day day

    Dietary Supplement: Immunoxel

  • Placebo comparator
    ATT+Placebo

    TB patients with DS-TB, MDR-TB, XDR-TB or TB-HIV on standard ATT + Placebo lozenge made of corn syrup once/day

    Other: Placebo

Interventions

  • Dietary supplementImmunoxel

    1 lozenge once per day

    Also known as: Immunoxel honey lozenges

  • OtherPlacebo

    1 lozenge once per day

    Also known as: Placebo lozenge

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. To compare the efficacy of combination of Immunoxel with anti-TB treatment versus anti-TB treatment with placebo in adults with sputum smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis

    Time frame: 1 month

Secondary outcomes

  1. To confirm the safety of Immunoxel as demonstrated by Liver functions tests (ALT and bilirubin) and hemoglobin; effect on TB-associated wasting by measuring body weight. Effect on lymphocytes and CD4+ cells, CD4/CD8 ratio among those who have HIV.

    Time frame: 1 month

07

Study locations

2 sites
  • Misheel Lung surgery hospital,
    Ulaanbaatar, Ulaanbaatar region 21000, Mongolia
  • Kharkiv Medical National University
    Kharkiv, 60071, Ukraine
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Efremenko YV, Arjanova OV, Prihoda ND, Yurchenko LV, Sokolenko NI, Mospan IV, Pylypchuk VS, Rowe J, Jirathitikal V, Bourinbaiar AS, Kutsyna GA. Clinical validation of sublingual formulations of Immunoxel (Dzherelo) as an adjuvant immunotherapy in treatment of TB patients. Immunotherapy. 2012 Mar;4(3):273-82. doi: 10.2217/imt.11.176. PubMed 22401633 ↗
  • Bourinbaiar AS, Mezentseva MV, Butov DA, Nyasulu PS, Efremenko YV, Jirathitikal V, Mishchenko VV, Kutsyna GA. Immune approaches in tuberculosis therapy: a brief overview. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2012 Mar;10(3):381-9. doi: 10.1586/eri.12.1. PubMed 22397570 ↗
  • Batbold U, Butov DO, Kutsyna GA, Damdinpurev N, Grinishina EA, Mijiddorj O, Kovolev ME, Baasanjav K, Butova TS, Sandagdorj M, Batbold O, Tseveendorj A, Chunt E, Zaitzeva SI, Stepanenko HL, Makeeva NI, Mospan IV, Pylypchuk VS, Rowe JL, Nyasulu P, Jirathitikal V, Bain AI, Tarakanovskaya MG, Bourinbaiar AS. Double-blind, placebo-controlled, 1:1 randomized Phase III clinical trial of Immunoxel honey lozenges as an adjunct immunotherapy in 269 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Immunotherapy. 2017 Jan;9(1):13-24. doi: 10.2217/imt-2016-0079. Epub 2016 Nov 21. PubMed 27868466 ↗
09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 20, 2015, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01061593
Lead sponsor
Lisichansk Regional Tuberculosis Dispensary
Collaborators
Ekomed LLC
Responsible party
Galyna Kutsyna (PI, Ekomed LLC) — Principal investigator
First posted
Feb 3, 2010
Start date
Jan 2010
Primary completion
Mar 2015
Completion
Apr 2015
Last update
May 20, 2015

Study contacts

Galyna kutsyna, MD, PhD
principal investigator · Ekomed LLC

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in May 2015. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion