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CompletedNCT03975153Updated May 24, 2024Results posted

Guselkumab in the Treatment of Pityriasis Rubra Pilaris (PRP)

A Phase 2 interventional study of guselkumab in Pityriasis Rubra Pilaris, sponsored by Oregon Health and Science University. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 99 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-05-24.

Sponsored by Oregon Health and Science University · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
15
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years to 99 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

15 patients with PRP will be treated with guselkumab for 20 weeks to determine safety and efficacy. Participants are required to travel to Portland, OR only for the first visit, week-4 visit, and week-24 visit. 3 visits in between these times and one follow up visit may be performed by secure videoconferencing.

Read the detailed description

Pityriasis rubra pilaris (PRP) is a rare and poorly understood severe inflammatory skin disease characterized by widespread (often full-body) redness and flaking of the skin, painful thickening and cracking of the palms and soles, hair loss, crumbling nails, and severe skin itching and burning.

There is no FDA-approved therapy for this rare disease and the commonly used medications do not work for many patients. There is some evidence that interleukin (IL)-23 may be too high in the skin of PRP patients. Ixekizumab is an injectable medication that blocks IL-23 by binding the p19 subunit and is FDA-approved for psoriasis.

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Conditions studied

  • Pityriasis Rubra Pilaris

Keywords

  • Interleukin-23, IL-23, guselkumab, Tremfya
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Oregon Health and Science University is the lead sponsor of 694 studies on the registry; 133 are open to participants now.

Of its 51 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 39 (76%) have results posted.

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

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 99 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

  • Diagnosis of PRP by clinical assessment
  • Male age 18-99, willing to use a reliable form of birth control if sexually active with a woman who is able to become pregnant.
  • Female age 18-99; either of non-childbearing potential or of childbearing potential who test negative for pregnancy and agree to use a reliable method of birth control or remain abstinent during the study and for at least 12 weeks following the last dose of guselkumab.
  • Involved body surface area (BSA) ≥ 10% at baseline (moderate-to-severe disease).
  • Are a candidate for phototherapy and/or systemic therapy.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Willingness to travel to Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) for all study visits, or willing/able to participate in remote videoconferencing visits with access to a computer with internet and webcam capabilities.
  • Known malignancy or lymphoproliferative disease (except treated basal cell skin cancer, treated squamous cell skin cancer, or treated cervical carcinoma in situ) for at least 5 years.
  • Active, untreated, acute or chronic infection, or immunocompromised to an extent that such that participation in the study would pose an unacceptable risk to the subject.
  • Positive for human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, or hepatitis C virus.
  • Have latent or active untreated tuberculosis (TB), a positive QuantiFERON-TB Gold test result, signs or symptoms of active TB on medical history or physical examination, or close contact with a person with active TB who have not undergone evaluation or treatment for TB. Those who are currently • Previous treatment with any agent that targets the interleukin 23 p19 subunit specifically.
  • Systemic treatment with prednisone in the last 2 weeks, or other systemic therapies or phototherapy for PRP within the past 4 weeks or 5 half-lives prior to baseline, whichever is longer. For biologic therapies, the specific washout periods used will be: etanercept \<28 days; infliximab, adalimumab, i
  • Have a known allergy or hypersensitivity to any biologic therapy that would pose an unacceptable risk to the subject if participating in this study.
  • Have or intend to have a live vaccine within 3 months prior to baseline or 12 months prior to baseline in the case of the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, or any live vaccine during the course of study or within 3 months after the last administration of study drug.
  • Had any major surgery within 8 weeks prior to baseline or will require major surgery during the study, that in the opinion of the investigator would pose an unacceptable risk to the subject.
  • Presence of significant uncontrolled cerebrovascular, respiratory, hepatic, renal, gastrointestinal, endocrine, hematologic, neurologic, or neuropsychiatric disorders, or abnormal laboratory screening values that, in the opinion of the investigator, pose an unacceptable risk to the subject if participating • Have clinical laboratory test results at screening that are outside the normal reference range of the population and are considered clinically significant, or have any of the following specific abnormalities: Neutrophil count \<1500 cells/μL, white blood cell count \<3500 cells/μL, platelet count \<100,000
  • Women who are lactating or breastfeeding.
  • Have any other condition that precludes the subject from following and completing the protocol, in the opinion of the investigator.
  • Are investigator site personnel directly affiliated with this study and/or their immediate families (spouse, parent, child, or sibling).
  • Are currently enrolled in, or discontinued from a clinical trial involving an investigational product or non-approved use of a drug or device within the last 4 weeks or a period of at least 5 half-lives of the last administration of the drug, whichever is longer, or concurrently enrolled in any other type of medical research judged not to be scientifically or medically compatible with this study.
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Study design

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

Study arms

  • Experimental
    guselkumab treatment

    Treatment with guselkumab for 20 weeks

    Biological: guselkumab

Interventions

  • Biologicalguselkumab

    Treatment at the FDA-approved psoriasis dosing for 20 weeks

    Also known as: Tremfya

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Mean Change From Baseline Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) at Week-24 After Treatment With Guselkumab.

    PASI measures the appearance of the skin based on erythema, scale, and elevation, multiplied by body surface area. 0 indicates completely clear skin. 72 is the maximum value, indicating the worst severity. A score of 11 or higher is considered severe disease.

    Time frame: 24 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Proportion of Subjects Achieving a 4-point Improvement in Quality of Life Measured by the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) at Week-24.

    Quality of life will be measured by the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). There are 10 questions covering symptoms, embarrassment, shopping and home care, clothes, social and leisure, sport, work or study, close relationships, sex, and treatment. Each question refers to the impact of PRP on the patient's life over the previous week. The highest score is 30 and would indicate a maximum (negative) impact on quality of life. A score of zero would indicate no impact on quality of life. For inflammatory skin conditions, a 4-point improvement in DLQI score is considered clinically important.

    Time frame: 24 weeks

  2. Proportion of Subjects With >50% Improvement With Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) at Week-24 Who Did Not Worsen at Week-36

    PASI measures the appearance of the skin based on erythema, scale, and elevation, multiplied by body surface area. 0 indicates completely clear skin. 72 is the maximum value, indicating the worst severity. A score of 11 or higher is considered severe disease. Trial participants who had a decrease in PASI by \>50% from week-0 to week-24 were included in this analysis. Participants did not receive any additional doses of guselkumab after week-20, and PASI score at week-36 was calculated to assess for sustained remission.

    Time frame: 36 weeks

07

Results

Posted May 24, 2024
Limitations and caveats
Limitations of the study: open label design, small sample size, lack of validated outcomes measures for PRP, racial and ethnic homogeneity of the participants

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneGuselkumab Treatment
Started14
Completed12
Not completed2

Outcome measures

PrimaryMean Change From Baseline Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) at Week-24 After Treatment With Guselkumab.

PASI measures the appearance of the skin based on erythema, scale, and elevation, multiplied by body surface area. 0 indicates completely clear skin. 72 is the maximum value, indicating the worst severity. A score of 11 or higher is considered severe disease.

Time frame:
24 weeks
Reported as:
Mean · percent change from baseline PASI
Mean Change From Baseline Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) at Week-24 After Treatment With Guselkumab.
percent change from baseline PASIGuselkumab Treatment
Mean Change From Baseline Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) at Week-24 After Treatment With Guselkumab.61.8 (21.3 to 100)
SecondaryProportion of Subjects Achieving a 4-point Improvement in Quality of Life Measured by the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) at Week-24.

Quality of life will be measured by the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). There are 10 questions covering symptoms, embarrassment, shopping and home care, clothes, social and leisure, sport, work or study, close relationships, sex, and treatment. Each question refers to the impact of PRP on the patient's life over the previous week. The highest score is 30 and would indicate a maximum (negative) impact on quality of life. A score of zero would indicate no impact on quality of life. For inflammatory skin conditions, a 4-point improvement in DLQI score is considered clinically important.

Time frame:
24 weeks
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Proportion of Subjects Achieving a 4-point Improvement in Quality of Life Measured by the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) at Week-24.
ParticipantsGuselkumab Treatment
Proportion of Subjects Achieving a 4-point Improvement in Quality of Life Measured by the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) at Week-24.11
SecondaryProportion of Subjects With >50% Improvement With Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) at Week-24 Who Did Not Worsen at Week-36

PASI measures the appearance of the skin based on erythema, scale, and elevation, multiplied by body surface area. 0 indicates completely clear skin. 72 is the maximum value, indicating the worst severity. A score of 11 or higher is considered severe disease. Trial participants who had a decrease in PASI by \>50% from week-0 to week-24 were included in this analysis. Participants did not receive any additional doses of guselkumab after week-20, and PASI score at week-36 was calculated to assess for sustained remission.

Time frame:
36 weeks
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Proportion of Subjects With >50% Improvement With Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) at Week-24 Who Did Not Worsen at Week-36
ParticipantsGuselkumab Treatment
Proportion of Subjects With >50% Improvement With Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) at Week-24 Who Did Not Worsen at Week-369

Adverse events

Collected over 36 weeks. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Guselkumab Treatment1/12 (8.3%)1/12 (8.3%)8/12 (66.7%)
Most frequent serious events
Most frequent serious events
EventGuselkumab Treatment
Cholecystitis leading to myocardial infarction and deathCardiac disorders1/12
Most frequent other events
Showing 10 of 20
Most frequent other events
EventGuselkumab Treatment
Temporary PRP worseningSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders1/12
EctropionEye disorders1/12
Elevated creatinineRenal and urinary disorders1/12
GastroenteritisGastrointestinal disorders1/12
Weight lossMetabolism and nutrition disorders1/12
Ground level fallSocial circumstances1/12
Injection site reactionSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders1/12
Scalp pustulesSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders1/12
Pulmonary noduleRespiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders1/12
False-positive hyperkalmiaBlood and lymphatic system disorders1/12

Baseline characteristics

Per-protocol population

Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)Guselkumab Treatment
Mean56.5 ± 18.7
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Guselkumab Treatment
Female4
Male8
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants)Guselkumab Treatment
Hispanic or Latino0
Not Hispanic or Latino12
Unknown or Not Reported0
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)Guselkumab Treatment
American Indian or Alaska Native0
Asian1
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander0
Black or African American0
White11
More than one race0
Unknown or Not Reported0
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)Guselkumab Treatment
United States12
Psoriasis Area and Severity Index
Psoriasis Area and Severity Index(units on a scale)Guselkumab Treatment
Mean30.6 ± 11.4
Dermatology Life Quality Index
Dermatology Life Quality Index(units on a scale)Guselkumab Treatment
Mean20.1 ± 6.8
Itch numeric rating scale
Itch numeric rating scale(units on a scale)Guselkumab Treatment
Mean6.9 ± 2.2
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Study locations

1 site
  • Oregon Health and Science University
    Portland, Oregon 97239, United States
09

References and documents

Publications

  • Velasco RC, Shao C, Cutler B, Strunck J, Kent G, Cassidy PB, Choate K, Greiling TM. Guselkumab for Pityriasis Rubra Pilaris and Dysregulation of IL-23/IL-17 and NFkB Signaling: A Nonrandomized Trial. JAMA Dermatol. 2024 Jun 1;160(6):641-645. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2024.0257. PubMed 38598229 ↗

Study documents

  • Protocol and statistical analysis plan · Jan 23, 2019

Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

10

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 24, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03975153
Responsible party
Teri Greiling (Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Oregon Health and Science University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jun 5, 2019
Start date
Oct 3, 2019
Primary completion
Aug 11, 2022
Completion
Mar 22, 2024
Results posted
May 24, 2024
Last update
May 24, 2024

Study contacts

Teri Greiling, MD, PhD
principal investigator · Oregon Health and Science University

Oversight

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

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Studies of the drug tested here: Guselkumab

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