A Phase 2/3 interventional study of Rituximab and Glatiramer Acetate in Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, sponsored by Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Completed at 1 site in Iran, Islamic Republic of. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 55 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2019-05-23.
Sponsored by Isfahan University of Medical Sciences · Phase 2/3, Interventional, and Treatment
The purpose of this study is to compare expanded disability status scale, annualized relapse rate, Gad-enhanced brain lesions, and side effects after administration of rituximab and glatiramer acetate among patients with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis during a one year follow up through a randomized clinical trial.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune inflammatory demyelinative disease of central nervous system. Active secondary progressive MS means progressive accumulation of disability after an initial relapsing course which is also associated with clinical relapses and/or new/enlarged Gad-enhanced brain lesions. This form of the disease leads to high rates of morbidity and mortality among patients. Different immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory agents are recommended by researchers to decrease relapses and improve disability among MS patients. The effect of these medications on different phenotypes of MS are mostly investigated solely and very small number of comparative studies are conducted to evaluate the superiority of these medications on each other.
Glatiramer acetate is one of the known MS medications which is being used to control relapses from a long time ago and different clinical trials have shown its partial efficacy among MS patients. On the other hand, rituximab is one of the medications which is recently suggested for treatment of MS and currently phase II clinical trials are conducted to evaluate the efficacy of this medication among patients. As previously stated, there is a lack of clinical trials to compare the efficacy of suggested medications among secondary progressive patients. To fill this gap, we aimed to compare the efficacy of these two medications on disability, annualized relapse rate, and Gad-enhanced brain lesions among patients with active secondary progressive MS through a randomized clinical trial during a one-year follow-up period.
244 studies on the registry are indexed under Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive; 53 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 84 is above the median of 54 across 189 interventional studies indexed under Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive.
Browse Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive studies →Isfahan University of Medical Sciences is the lead sponsor of 150 studies on the registry; 8 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
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.
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.
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.
A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.
Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.
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.
Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.
After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.
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.
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.
Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.
Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.
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.
The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Autoimmune disease
A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.
Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hepatitis C tests
Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.
After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
ALT and AST (liver enzymes)
Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.
Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hemoglobin (Hb)
The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Patients in this group will receive 1g of rituximab in 500 cc normal saline serum through intravenous infusion as one treatment course. The treatment course will be repeated in 6 months. Along with rituximab, 100 mg methylprednisolone, 10 mg chlorpheniramine, and 500 mg acetaminophen will also be injected to decrease side effects of rituximab.
Drug: Rituximab
Patients in this group will receive 40 mg of glatiramer acetate three times per week through subcutaneous injection.
Drug: Glatiramer Acetate
Patients will receive 1 g of rituximab (two vials of Zytux 500 mg/50 ml) in 500 cc normal saline serum through intravenous infusion as one treatment cycle. This cycle will be repeated every 6 months. Along with rituximab, patients will receive 100 mg of methylprednisolone, 10 mg of chlorpheniramine, and 500 mg of acetaminophen. Before each cycle, patients will be evaluated regarding complete blood count (CBC)-diff, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), Cr, and liver function tests.
Also known as: Zytux®
Patients will receive 40 mg of glatiramer acetate three times per week through subcutaneous injection. Patients will undergo electrocardiography before starting the treatment to find any abnormal finding. Also, lab tests will be checked for them prior to the treatment, including CBC-diff, BUN, Cr, and liver function tests.
Also known as: Osvimer®
Disability measured by Expanded Disability Status Scale
expanded disability status scale will be measured in the baseline and after 12 months of intervention. This scale measures the disability of patients with a score, ranging from 0 (normal neurological exam) to 10 (death due to MS). This score is assigned to the patient by the neurologist and after neurological examination. The patient will be given a score in this scale according to the observed disability. The scores will be compared at the end of study.
Time frame: one year
Adverse Drug Reactions
adverse drug reactions will be observed closely and reported during the intervention. We will compare the number of adverse drug reactions in two groups. Also, adverse drug reactions will be described by details in each group.
Time frame: one year
number of Gadolinium-enhanced brain lesions and neuroimaging findings
patients will undergo brain MRI before and after the study and number of Gad-enhanced brain lesions will compared before and after intervention.
Time frame: one year
Annualized relapse rate
annualized relapse rate will be measured in the baseline (according to patients' history in the last year) and after 12 months of intervention.
Time frame: one year
Plan to share: No — We may share the individual participant data (anonymously) on request of qualified investigators.
Ran from Dec 2017 to primary completion in Feb 2019, 14 months.
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This study is completed, as verified in May 2019. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Studies of the drugs tested here: Rituximab · Glatiramer
Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive →
Isfahan University of Medical Sciences →