CClinicalTrials.gg
WithdrawnNCT04216277PARIUpdated Mar 27, 2023

The Procalcitonin Guided Antibiotics in Respiratory Infections in General Practice

An interventional study of Procalcitonin in Acute Respiratory Tract Infection, sponsored by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Trial Network, Denmark. Withdrawn at 6 sites in Denmark. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-03-27.

Sponsored by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Trial Network, Denmark · Not applicable, Interventional, and Diagnostic

Why this study was withdrawn
the poc test was withdrawn by manufacturer
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
0
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Antimicrobial resistance rates have reached alarming levels and the Worlds Health Organisation (WHO) states it constitutes a serious public health concern by threatening one of the most effective and mortality lowering interventions in modern medicine. Part of the solution to this problem includes minimizing overuse of antibiotics. But clinical signs alone are often not reliable to guide antibiotic treatment decisions and additional tests may be warranted to assist the doctor. Such tests include point-of-care biomarkers of infection like C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT). Targeting antibiotic use to the few patients with a high probability of benefit and withholding in the many with non-serious respiratory infection is a promising strategy and readily implemented in clinical practice.

The Procalcitonin guided Antibiotics in Respiratory Infections (PARI) study will assess the effect of a novel point-of-care PCT guided antibiotic stewardship in acute respiratory tract infections in general practice.

The overall aim of the PARI study is to reduce antibiotic use in patients with acute respiratory tract infections by targeting antibiotic treatment only to patients with a suspected bacterial etiology and thus likely to benefit from antibiotic therapy.

The main research questions are:

Does the addition of a point-of-care Procalcitonin test to standard care reduce antibiotic use in primary care? Is the intervention safe for the patients? The PARI study is a pragmatic two-arm (intervention and control (standard care) open randomized non-inferiority trial (up to 1 day difference in recovery) in general practice.

02

Conditions studied

  • Acute Respiratory Tract Infection

Keywords

  • primary care
  • acute respiratory tract infection
  • Procalcitonin
  • general practice
  • Antibiotic use
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Age above 18 years
  • Able to read and understand patient information about the PARI trial and willing to give written informed consent prior to enrollment
  • Acute cough e.g. less than 2 weeks probable acute upper or lower respiratory tract infection (pharyngitis, tonsillitis, otitis media, sinusitis, exacerbations of asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), bronchitis or pneumonia)
  • C-Reactive Protein >20 mg/m

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Symptoms present for more than 2 weeks
  • Verified immunodeficiency or presently neutropenic (neutrophile granulocytes ≤0,5 x 109/L within the last 7 days)
  • Severe liver failure
  • Severe kidney failure including dialysis
  • Sore throat and positive test for Group A streptococcus
  • Prior antibiotic exposure last 14 days up to inclusion
  • Need for acute admission to hospital
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
04

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Diagnostic
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
0 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Procalcitonin in addition to usual care

    Procalcitonin values will be disclosed to the attending physician and assist in antibiotic guidance in addition to usual care

    Diagnostic Test: Procalcitonin

  • No intervention
    Usual care

    Usual best standard care. No procalcitonin values disclosed to attending physician .

Interventions

  • Diagnostic testProcalcitonin

    In addition to usual care diagnostic and handling of acute respiratory tract infections in general practice to attending physician in the intervention arm has access to antibiotic stewardship by a procalcitonin point-of-care test. The following criteria for initiating og withholding antibiotics will be used. * Antibiotics treatment is recommended with Procalcitonin levels above 0.25 ng/ml * Antibiotic treatment is discouraged if Procalcitonin levels are below 0.25 ng/ml

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Duration of illness and symptoms from acute respiratory tract infections.

    The patient reported primary outcome will be assessed as number of days to a patient's daily activities (work or recreation) are no longer restricted by symptoms from a respiratory tract infection.The non-inferiority margin between the intervention and control group is set at a one day difference. The recovery measure will be the specific day indicated by the participants using the validated Acute Respiratory Tract Infections Questionaire (ARTIQ).

    Time frame: up to 14 days

Secondary outcomes

  1. Antibiotic treatments

    Number of participants in each trial arm exposed to antibiotic treatment at index consultation (day 1) and within 30 days

    Time frame: 1, 14 and 30 days

  2. Side effects from antibiotic treatment

    Number of participants in each trial arm with side effects from antibiotic treatment

    Time frame: 14 days

  3. re-consultations

    Number of participants in each trial arm with re-consultations

    Time frame: 30 days

  4. Severe adverse effects

    Number of participants in each trial arm admitted to hospitalization (including diagnosis and mortality)

    Time frame: 30 days

  5. Biomarker levels

    Characterisation of biomarker (C-Reactive Protein and Procalcionin) levels at index consultation.

    Time frame: day 1

06

Study locations

6 sites
  • Lægerne Finne, Riise og Aabenhus
    Copenhagen, 1620, Denmark
  • Amagercentrets læger
    Copenhagen, 2300, Denmark
  • Mit Lægehus
    Copenhagen, 2610, Denmark
  • Haslev Lægecenter
    Haslev, 4690, Denmark
  • Næstved Lægecenter
    Næstved, 4700, Denmark
  • Rønnede lægehus
    Rønnede, 4683, Denmark
07

References and documents

Publications

  • Filipsen N, Bro H, Bjerrum L, Jensen JS, Aabenhus R. The Procalcitonin-guided Antibiotics in Respiratory Infections (PARI) project in general practice - a study protocol. BMC Prim Care. 2022 Mar 12;23(1):43. doi: 10.1186/s12875-022-01646-6. PubMed 35279069 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — work in progress

Supporting information: Study protocol, Sap, Analytic code

08

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04216277
Lead sponsor
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Trial Network, Denmark
Collaborators
Research Unit Of General Practice, Copenhagen, Department of Public Health, Denmark
Responsible party
Rune Munck Aabenhus (MD. Specialist in General Practice, PhD, Assistent Professor, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Trial Network, Denmark) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jan 2, 2020
Start date
Feb 27, 2020
Primary completion
Aug 1, 2022
Completion
Aug 1, 2022
Last update
Mar 27, 2023

Study contacts

Lars Bjerrum, PhD
study chair · Department of Public Health, Copenhagen University, Denmark

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is withdrawn, as verified in Mar 2023. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion