ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT02184689Updated Jun 24, 2020

Efficacy and Safety of Fexinidazole in Children at Least 6 Years Old and Weighing Over 20 kg With Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) Due to T.b. Gambiense: a Prospective, Multicentre, Open Study, plug-in to the Pivotal Study

A Phase 2/3 interventional study of fexinidazole in Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), sponsored by Drugs for Neglected Diseases. Completed at 1 site in Congo, The Democratic Republic of the. Open to participants aged 6 Years to 14 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2020-06-24.

Sponsored by Drugs for Neglected Diseases · Phase 2/3, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 2/3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
125
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
6 Years to 14 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The aim of the study is to assess the efficacy and safety of an oral regimen of fexinidazole (once daily for 10 days) in the treatment of stage 1 and stage 2 T.b. gambiense sleeping sickness in children at least 6 years old and over 20 kg bodyweight.

02

Conditions studied

  • Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT)
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 125 is below the median of 155 across 24 interventional studies indexed under Trypanosomiasis, African.

Browse Trypanosomiasis, African studies →

Lead sponsor

Drugs for Neglected Diseases is the lead sponsor of 58 studies on the registry; 3 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
6 Years to 14 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

  • form signed by one of the parents or the child's legal representative
  • Child assent to participate in the study collected in the presence of an impartial witness
  • Age between 6 and 15 years old
  • > 20 Kg bodyweight
  • Boy or girl
  • Able to ingest at least one complete meal per day (or at least one Plumpy'Nut® sachet)
  • Able to swallow 600mg fexinidazole tablets
  • index > 50
  • Presence of trypanosomes in blood and/or lymph and/or CSF
  • Permanent address and ability to comply with follow-up visit schedule

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Child refusing to be included in the trial
  • Bodyweight \< 20 Kg
  • Severe malnutrition, defined as having a below 16 (- 2 Z-score of the norm according to WHO 2007 Growth reference data)
  • Inability to take oral medication
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • medical condition other than HAT that, in the Investigator's opinion, may jeopardize subject safety or interfere with participation in the study, including but not limited to significant liver or cardiovascular disease, active documented or suspected infection, central nervous system (CNS) trauma or seizure disorders, coma or altered consciousness
  • Severely deteriorated general condition, such as cardiovascular shock, respiratory distress, or terminal illness
  • Any medical condition (except HAT-specific symptoms) hindering communication with the Investigator as required for the completion of this study
  • Any to imidazole products (known to imidazoles)
  • History of HAT treatment in the past 2 years
  • Patients previously enrolled in the study or having already received fexinidazole.
  • Expected follow-up difficulties (migrants, refugees, itinerant vendors, etc.).
  • Current alcohol or drug abuse
  • Clinically significant abnormal laboratory findings, including ASAT and/or ALAT > 2 times // Total > 1.5 times ULN // Severe leukopenia (\< 2000/mm3) // Potassium (K+) \< 3.5 mmol // Any other clinically significant abnormal laboratory value (see details in Investigator Manual)
  • Pregnancy confirmed by a positive urine pregnancy test obtained within 24 hours (h) prior to start of study treatment (see Section 5.8.3 ; p36) for girls over 12 years old and over
  • abnormalities assessed by a central cardiologist
  • ≥ 450 ms, as measured automatically (if first measurement is abnormal, a second assessment will be done at least 10-20 min later, with the patient in resting position).
  • Patients not tested for malaria and/or not treated adequately for this infection
  • Patients not treated adequately for soil transmitted helminthic diseases
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(11)

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.

Karnofsky performance status (KPS)

A 0–100 scale of how well someone can carry out everyday activities. 100 is no complaints and no signs of illness; 70 is able to look after yourself but not to work or keep up normal activity; 50 is needing considerable help and frequent medical care.

Studies often ask for 60 or 70 and above. Your doctor gives the score.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2 / Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
125 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Fexinidazole

    Drug: fexinidazole

Interventions

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Outcome (success or failure) at the test of cure (ToC)

    Success at 12 months, adapted from the WHO criteria (51), is defined as a cured patient: * Patient alive; * AND no evidence of trypanosomes in any body fluid; * AND WBC ≤20/µL in CSF.

    Time frame: 12 months after the end of treatment

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Kinshasa, Congo, The Democratic Republic of the
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Kande Betu Kumesu V, Mutombo Kalonji W, Bardonneau C, Valverde Mordt O, Ngolo Tete D, Blesson S, Simon F, Delhomme S, Bernhard S, Nganzobo Ngima P, Mahenzi Mbembo H, Fina Lubaki JP, Lumeya Vuvu S, Kuziena Mindele W, Ilunga Wa Kyhi M, Mandula Mokenge G, Kaninda Badibabi L, Kasongo Bonama A, Kavunga Lukula P, Lumbala C, Scherrer B, Strub-Wourgaft N, Tarral A. Safety and efficacy of oral fexinidazole in children with gambiense human African trypanosomiasis: a multicentre, single-arm, open-label, phase 2-3 trial. Lancet Glob Health. 2022 Nov;10(11):e1665-e1674. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00338-2. Epub 2022 Sep 27. PubMed 36179736 ↗
09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Ran from May 2014 to primary completion in Dec 2016, 31 months.

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

Registered
Jun 19, 2014
First posted
Jul 9, 2014
StartActual
May 3, 2014
Primary completionActual
Dec 14, 2016
CompletionActual
Jun 27, 2017
Last update
Jun 24, 2020
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 Jun 24, 2020, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02184689
Lead sponsor
Drugs for Neglected Diseases
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jul 9, 2014
Start date
May 3, 2014
Primary completion
Dec 14, 2016
Completion
Jun 27, 2017
Last update
Jun 24, 2020

Oversight

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

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This study is completed, as verified in Jun 2020. 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: Fexinidazole

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