ClinicalTrials.gg
Status unknownNCT03298698Updated Aug 27, 2018

Efficacy of Rituximab in Comparison to Continued Corticosteroid Treatment in Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome

A Phase 3 interventional study of Rituximab and Prednisone in Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome, Minimal Change Disease and Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis, sponsored by Radboud University Medical Center. Status unknown at 1 site in Netherlands. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2018-08-27.

Sponsored by Radboud University Medical Center · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment

The sponsor has not verified this record recently (last verified Aug 2018), so the status shown — last known as Recruiting — may be out of date.
Phase
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
40
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This will be an open-label, randomized controlled trial which compares continued treatment with high dose prednisone (standard therapy) to treatment with rituximab in patients with minimal change disease or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis unresponsive to 8 weeks of high dose prednisone .

patients either receive 2 doses of Rituximab 375 mg/m2 iv at time 0 and 14 days with termination of prednisone or standard therapy which consist of 8 additional weeks of high dose prednisone treatment.

Read the detailed description

Minimal change disease (MCD) and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) are important causes of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. First-line treatment with high dose prednisone up to 16 weeks is associated with serious side effects. Especially if treatment continues for more than 8 weeks.

Retrospective studies suggested that Rituximab may be more effective in patients unresponsive to 8 weeks of high dose prednisone. Treatment with rituximab was associated with a higher proportion of patients attaining remission of proteinuria and with fewer side effects.

This will be an open-label, randomized controlled trial which compares continued treatment with high dose prednisone (standard therapy) to treatment with rituximab in patients with an idiopathic nephrotic syndrome due to biopsy proven MCD or FSGS age 18 years or older.

All patients will be treated with high dose prednisone (1 mg/kg/day) for 8 weeks.

Patients can be included in the trial in case of persistent persistent proteinuria ≥ 2 g/ 24 hours or a protein-to-creatinine ratio ≥ 2 g/10mmol (2 g/g) after 8 weeks of treatment with high dose prednisone

Patients either receive 2 doses of Rituximab 375 mg/m2 iv at time 0 and 14 days with termination of prednisone or standard therapy which consist of 8 additional weeks of high dose prednisone treatment. In the Rituximab group, B-cells will be monitored weekly, and if no complete depletion is achieved, additional dose(s) of Rituximab will be given at a weekly interval (maximum of 2 additional doses) until complete B cell depletion.

Expected duration of the follow-up is 12 months, consisting of 9 visits.

02

Conditions studied

  • Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome
  • Minimal Change Disease
  • Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis

Keywords

  • Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome
  • Minimal change disease
  • Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis
  • Rituximab
  • Randomized clinical trial
03

In context

Nephrosis, Lipoid

75 studies on the registry are indexed under Nephrosis, Lipoid; 32 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 40 is below the median of 49 across 46 interventional studies indexed under Nephrosis, Lipoid.

Browse Nephrosis, Lipoid studies →

Lead sponsor

Radboud University Medical Center is the lead sponsor of 986 studies on the registry; 136 are open to participants now.

Of its 6 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 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

  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Persistent proteinuria ≥ 2 g/ 24 hours or a protein-to-creatinine ratio ≥ 2 g/10mmol (2 g/g) after 8 weeks of treatment with high dose prednisone 1 mg/kg/day (max 80 mg/day)
  • Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome caused by proven minimal change disease or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe nephrotic syndrome with hypotension
  • Previous treatment with medication other than prednisone
  • Treatment with prednisone > 10 weeks in last six months
  • Secondary form of FSGS or minimal change disease
  • Patients who test positive for surface antigen (HBsAg) or hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc).
  • Patients infected with or suffering from other active infections
  • Patients inoculated with a vaccine within 4 weeks prior to inclusion
  • Pregnancy, breast feeding, women with inadequate
  • Kidney transplantation
  • Previous treatment with monoclonal antibodies within 2 years prior to inclusion
  • Neutrophils \< 1.5 x 109/L and/or counts \< 75 x 109/L
  • Severe heart failure ( Class IV) or severe, uncontrolled cardiac disease
  • Active peptic ulcer
  • Known to
  • Insulin resistant diabetes mellitus
  • Treatment with carbamazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin en rifampicin
  • Severe osteoporosis with vertebral fracture
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.

Biopsy and archival tissue

A biopsy takes a small piece of tissue to examine. “Archival tissue” is a sample already taken, for example at diagnosis, and kept by the hospital.

Whether a stored sample will do depends on when it was taken, how much there is and what the study needs. Ask whether the study accepts your stored sample or needs a new biopsy.

Immunosuppression

A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.

Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.

Hepatitis B tests

Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. These are separate tests: HBsAg positive usually means a current infection (a recent vaccination can briefly cause it too); total anti-HBc (HBcAb) positive means an infection now or in the past; HBV DNA measures how much virus is in the blood.

Some studies accept a past infection if HBV DNA is undetectable, sometimes with antiviral medicine during the study. Check what this study allows.

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.

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.

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.

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.

NYHA class (heart failure)

The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.

I
No limits: ordinary activity causes no undue tiredness or breathlessness.
II
Slight limits: comfortable at rest, ordinary activity causes symptoms.
III
Marked limits: comfortable at rest, less than ordinary activity causes symptoms.
IV
Symptoms even at rest; any activity makes them worse.

Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.

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.

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.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
40 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Rituximab

    Rituximab: 375 mg/m2 intravenously on day 0 and day 14 B-cells will be monitored weekly, and if no complete depletion is achieved, additional dose(s) of Rituximab will be given at a weekly interval until complete B cell depletion (maximum of 2 additional doses).

    Drug: Rituximab

  • Active comparator
    Prednisone

    Prednisone 1 mg/kg/day (max 80 mg/day) for 8 weeks

    Drug: Prednisone

Interventions

  • Rituximab: 375 mg/m2 intravenously on day 0 and day 14 B-cells will be monitored weekly, and if no complete depletion is achieved, additional dose(s) of Rituximab will be given at a weekly interval until complete B cell depletion (maximum of 2 additional doses).

    Also known as: Mabthera

  • Prednisone 1 mg/kg/day (max 80 mg/day) for 8 weeks

    Also known as: Prednisolone

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Complete remission

    The proportion of patients reaching complete remission defined as proteinuria \<0.3 g/day or \< 300 mg/g

    Time frame: 8 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Partial remission

    The proportion of patients reaching partial remission defined as proteinuria \< 3.5 g/24 h or \< 3.5 g/g and 50% lower than baseline proteinuria

    Time frame: 8 weeks

  2. Late complete or partial remission

    The proportion of patients reaching complete remission defined as proteinuria \<0.3 g/day or \< 300 mg/g or The proportion of patients reaching partial remission defined as proteinuria \< 3.5 g/24 h or \< 3500 mg/g and 50% lower than baseline proteinuria

    Time frame: 2-12 months

  3. Time to remission

    Time between start of treatment and reaching partial or complete remission

    Time frame: 12 months

  4. Time to relapse

    The time between partial or complete remission and relapse (defined as urinary protein excretion to ≥3.5 g/24 h or ≥3.5 g/g creatinine

    Time frame: 12 months

  5. Proportion of patients with a relapse

    The proportion of patients with relapse (defined as urinary protein excretion to ≥3.5 g/24 h or ≥3.5 g/g creatinine in patients who had at least attained a partial remission and the time to relapse

    Time frame: 12 months

  6. Proportion of patients treated with additional immunosuppressive drugs

    Proportion of patients treated with immunosuppressive drugs other than the assigned treatment with rituximab or prednisolone

    Time frame: 12 months

  7. General health assessment

    Difference in general health measured by RAND-36

    Time frame: at 2, 6, 9 and 12 months

  8. Quality of life measured with TAAQOL

    Difference in quality of life measured with TNO-academisch Ziekenhuis Leiden Questionnaire for Adult's Health-Difference in Quality of Life

    Time frame: at 2, 6, 9 and 12 months

  9. Proportion of patients with adverse events

    The proportion of patients with adverse events. Adverse events graded according to Common Terminology Criteria For Adverse Events (NCI-CTCAE v4.03)

    Time frame: at 2 and 12 months

  10. Cost-effectiveness analysis

    Cost-effectiveness will be calculated by dividing the difference in costs by the difference in effectiveness (based on the number of patients in remission) derived from the two groups. The resulting cost-effectiveness ratio will be expressed as costs per one more patient in remission

    Time frame: at 2, 6, 9 and 12 months

  11. Cost-utility analysis

    Cost-utility analysis will be calculated by dividing the difference in costs by the difference in Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALY's). QALY's will be derived from the EuroQol-5d-5L questionnaire.

    Time frame: at 2, 6, 9 and 12 months

  12. Difference in kidney function

    Difference in creatinine clearance and estimated glomerular filtration rate

    Time frame: at 2 and 12 months

  13. Proportion of patients with an increase of baseline serum creatinine ≥ 50%

    The percentage of patients with an increase \> 50% of serum creatinine from baseline.

    Time frame: at 2 and 12 months

  14. Benefit-risk ratio 1

    Difference in the percentage of remissions (benefit) divided by the difference in adverse events grade 3 or 4, including Serious Adverse Events and Suspected Unexpected Serious Adverse Reaction (risk)

    Time frame: at 2 and 12 months

  15. Benefit-risk ratio 2

    Difference in the percentage of remissions (benefit) divided by the difference in the total number of adverse events (risk)

    Time frame: at 2 and 12 months

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Azukaitis K, Palmer SC, Strippoli GF, Hodson EM. Interventions for minimal change disease in adults with nephrotic syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Mar 1;3(3):CD001537. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001537.pub5. PubMed 35230699 ↗
  • Hodson EM, Sinha A, Cooper TE. Interventions for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Feb 28;2(2):CD003233. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD003233.pub3. PubMed 35224732 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Started Aug 2018 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Aug 2021, 36 months after the start.

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

Registered
Aug 24, 2017
First posted
Oct 2, 2017
StartActual
Aug 22, 2018
Primary completionEst.
Aug 22, 2021
CompletionEst.
Jan 22, 2022
Last update
Aug 27, 2018
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 Aug 27, 2018, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03298698
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Oct 2, 2017
Start date
Aug 22, 2018
Primary completion
Aug 22, 2021 (estimated)
Completion
Jan 22, 2022 (estimated)
Last update
Aug 27, 2018

Study contacts

Jeroen Deegens, MD,PhD
Contact
Jeroen.Deegens@radboudumc.nl
+31243614761
Jeroen K Deegens, MD,PhD
principal investigator · Radboud University Nijmegen Medical center
Jack F Wetzels, MD, PhD
study chair · Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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Studies of the drug tested here: Rituximab

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