ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT01864200CopperheadUpdated Nov 22, 2017Results posted

Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study: CroFab® vs Placebo for Copperhead Snake Envenomation

A Phase 4 interventional study of Crotalidae polyvalent immune fab (ovine) and Placebo in Snake Bites, sponsored by BTG International Inc.. Completed at 18 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 12 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2017-11-22.

Sponsored by BTG International Inc. · Phase 4, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
74
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
12 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This study will evaluate the recovery from copperhead snake bite in patients with mild or moderate venom effect. Potential subjects received CroFab antivenom or placebo. After blinded treatment and discharge, the subject returns to the clinic for follow-up assessments at day 3, 7, 14, and 28 after snake bite as well as follow-up telephone assessments on day 10, 17, and 24 after snake bite. The purpose of this study is to compare recovery in copperhead snake bite patients treated with antivenom vs placebo (no active drug) as measured by the Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) at Day 14 follow-up. The primary efficacy endpoint of this study was achieved.

Read the detailed description

This study will evaluate the recovery from copperhead snake bite in patients with mild or moderate venom effect. Potential subjects will receive CroFab antivenom or placebo. The trial is conducted by emergency room doctors, toxicologists, or surgeons at hospitals in regions where copperhead bites are common. After blinded treatment and discharge, the subject returns to the clinic for follow-up assessments at day 3, 7, 14, and 28 after snake bite. The subject will also be called by telephone for follow-up assessments on day 10, 17, and 24 after snake bite. The purpose of this study is to compare recovery in copperhead snake bite patients treated with antivenom vs placebo (no active drug) as measured by the Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) at Day 14 follow-up.The primary efficacy endpoint of this study was achieved. Treatment with CroFab® demonstrated measurable and significant improvement (less disability) over placebo: in the mITT population, the LS mean total score on the PSFS at Day 14 follow-up and treatment showed less disability in patients randomized to receive CroFab® than those receiving placebo.

02

Conditions studied

  • Snake Bites

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03

In context

Snake Bites

38 studies on the registry are indexed under Snake Bites; 11 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 74 is close to the median of 70 across 18 interventional studies indexed under Snake Bites.

Browse Snake Bites studies →

Lead sponsor

BTG International Inc. is the lead sponsor of 12 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
12 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

  • Envenomation by a copperhead snake

    a. Snake identified by one of the following means: i.Snake or photograph of snake brought to Emergency Department ii.Patient chooses copperhead from an array of snake photographs iii.Patient envenomated in an area where only copperheads are endemic iv.Patient envenomated by a captive copperhead snake

  • Completion of and eligibility confirmation within 24 hours of envenomation
  • Envenomation on only one extremity, distal to the elbow or knee
  • Clinical evidence of mild or moderate venom effect (limb swelling and/or tenderness) is present (Venom effects need not be progressing.)
  • Patient willing and able to complete follow-up schedule of assessments
  • Patient is able to read, comprehend and sign the IRB approved consent document(s)
  • Patient is able to read and comprehend the written assessment tools (e.g., DASH, LEFS, PROMIS Physical Function Short Form 10a (PROMIS PF-10), PGIC, etc.)
  • Patient is ≥12 years of age
  • Patient is sober, competent, and able to complete verbal and written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria-

  • Patient has clinical evidence of severe venom effect as defined by meeting any one of the following parameters:

    i. Swelling to an entire extremity (all major joints affected)

    1. Lower extremity: swelling crossing hip joint
    2. Upper extremity: swelling crossing shoulder joint ii. > 2.0 iii. \<50,000 cells / µL iv. Fibrinogen \<50 mg/dL

    v. Compartment syndrome vi. Systolic Blood Pressure \<90 mmHg vii. More than minimal bleeding viii. Investigator's clinical discretion

  • Patient has already received antivenom for the management of the current envenomation
  • Patient is pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Patient is a prisoner
  • Patient has a distracting injury or condition with acute pain or functional impairment, and/or is unable to make a reliable self-report of functionality status based solely on the condition of interest
  • Patient had a previous snake envenomation to any body area in the 30 days prior to screening/enrollment, regardless of whether antivenom was administered for the previous envenomation
  • Patient had an acute traumatic event, surgery, an acute medical event, or exacerbation of a pre-existing medical or surgical condition affecting the envenomated extremity within the 30 days prior to screening/enrollment
  • Patient has participated in a clinical study involving an pharmaceutical product or device within the 3 months prior to screening that may have impact on clinical outcomes of snakebite
  • Patient has previously participated in this clinical study
  • Patient has a known history of to any components of CroFab®, or to papaya or papain
  • Patient is otherwise unsuitable for inclusion in this study, based on the opinion of the Investigator
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(5)

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.

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.

Platelets

Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.

Investigational drug or device

A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.

It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.

Hypersensitivity

An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
74 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    CroFab

    crotalidae polyvalent immune fab (ovine) per approved labeling

    Biological: Crotalidae polyvalent immune fab (ovine)

  • Placebo comparator
    Saline placebo

    Saline placebo

    Biological: Placebo

Interventions

  • BiologicalCrotalidae polyvalent immune fab (ovine)

    crotalidae antivenom

    Also known as: CroFab

  • BiologicalPlacebo

    Saline placebo

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Patient Specific Functional Scale Score

    Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) at 14 day follow-up This is a three-item instrument, administered verbally, that is used to evaluate whether a health condition impacts a patient's ability to perform activities that are important to him/her. On the initial assessment, the patient is asked to identify "up to three important activities that you are unable to do or are having difficulty with as a result of your (snakebite)." The patient then provides a rating for each item, on an 11-point ordinal scale ranging from 0 ("unable to perform activity") to 10 ("able to perform activity at the same level as before the injury or problem"). During reassessments, the subject is prompted to re-rate the same three activities. The average of up to 3 specific activity scores was recorded, and the range of possible scores is 0 - 10. Higher scores indicate less impairment.

    Time frame: at 14 day follow-up

07

Results

Posted Nov 22, 2017

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneCroFabSaline Placebo
Started4529
Completed4326
Not completed23
Withdrew: Lost to follow-up13
Withdrew: Protocol violation10

Outcome measures

PrimaryPatient Specific Functional Scale Score

Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) at 14 day follow-up This is a three-item instrument, administered verbally, that is used to evaluate whether a health condition impacts a patient's ability to perform activities that are important to him/her. On the initial assessment, the patient is asked to identify "up to three important activities that you are unable to do or are having difficulty with as a result of your (snakebite)." The patient then provides a rating for each item, on an 11-point ordinal scale ranging from 0 ("unable to perform activity") to 10 ("able to perform activity at the same level as before the injury or problem"). During reassessments, the subject is prompted to re-rate the same three activities. The average of up to 3 specific activity scores was recorded, and the range of possible scores is 0 - 10. Higher scores indicate less impairment.

Time frame:
at 14 day follow-up
Reported as:
Mean · units on a scale
Patient Specific Functional Scale Score
units on a scaleCroFabSaline Placebo
Patient Specific Functional Scale Score8.62 ± 0.5507.45 ± 0.603

Adverse events

Collected over Envenomation + 28 days. Non-serious events are listed at a 5% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
CroFab—1/45 (2.2%)25/45 (55.6%)
Saline Placebo—1/29 (3.4%)8/29 (27.6%)
Most frequent serious events
Most frequent serious events
EventCroFabSaline Placebo
Venom poisoningInjury, poisoning and procedural complications0/451/29
Pulmonary embolismRespiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders1/450/29
Most frequent other events
Most frequent other events
EventCroFabSaline Placebo
HeadacheNervous system disorders5/451/29
PruritusSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders5/451/29
UrticariaSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders5/450/29
DizzinessNervous system disorders4/452/29
PyrexiaGeneral disorders4/450/29
NauseaGastrointestinal disorders4/452/29
ParaesthesiaNervous system disorders3/452/29
RashSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders3/450/29
Pain in extremityMusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders3/450/29

Baseline characteristics

Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)CroFabSaline PlaceboTotal
Mean44 ± 17.942 ± 17.243.04 ± 17.57
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)CroFabSaline PlaceboTotal
Female221335
Male231639
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)CroFabSaline PlaceboTotal
American Indian or Alaska Native000
Asian101
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander000
Black or African American224
White402565
More than one race000
Unknown or Not Reported224
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(Participants)CroFabSaline PlaceboTotal
United States452974
08

Study locations

18 sites
  • Georgia Regents University
    Augusta, Georgia 30912, United States
  • University of Kansas Hospital
    Kansas City, Kansas 66160, United States
  • Washington University
    Saint Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
  • University of North Carolina
    Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
  • Duke University
    Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
  • Vidant Medical Center
    Greenville, North Carolina 27834, United States
  • Lehigh Valley Hospital Center
    Allentown, Pennsylvania 18103, United States
  • University of Pittsburgh
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States
  • Medical University of South Carolina
    Charleston, South Carolina 29461, United States
  • Palmetto Health Richland
    Columbia, South Carolina 29203, United States
  • St Joseph Regional Health Center
    Bryan, Texas 77802, United States
  • University of Texas - Southwestern
    Dallas, Texas 75235, United States
  • Ben Taub General Hospital
    Houston, Texas 77030, United States
  • Texas Children's Hospital
    Houston, Texas 77030, United States
  • Scott & White Hospital
    Temple, Texas 76508, United States
  • University of Virginia
    Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, United States
  • Virginia Commonwealth University
    Richmond, Virginia 23219, United States
  • Marshall Health
    Huntington, West Virginia 25701, United States
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References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

10

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 22, 2017, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01864200
Lead sponsor
BTG International Inc.
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
May 29, 2013
Start date
Jul 2013
Primary completion
Dec 2015
Completion
Dec 2015
Results posted
Nov 22, 2017
Last update
Nov 22, 2017

Study contacts

Maria Gasior, MD
principal investigator · BTG International Inc.

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Oct 2017. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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