ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT04468425Updated Oct 15, 2026

Tofacitinib Citrate Topical Gel 3.2% FDA BA Bridging Study

A Phase 1 interventional study of Tofacitinib Citrate in Healthy Subjects, sponsored by TWi Biotechnology, Inc.. Completed at 1 site in Canada. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 60 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-15.

Sponsored by TWi Biotechnology, Inc. · Phase 1, Interventional, and Other

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was Dec 2020, 5 years 10 months ago, and no results have been posted to the registry.
Updated Oct 15, 2026Enrollment updatedGo to Updates ↓
Phase
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
20
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years to 60 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This is a Phase 1, single center, open-label, fixed sequence, two-period pharmacokinetic (PK) study to evaluate the safety and relative systemic bioavailability of topical and oral tofacitinib formulations in approximately 14 healthy subjects. Participants will receive a single oral dose of tofacitinib 5 mg tablet in Period 1 of the study followed by a 7-day washout period. In Period 2, participants will receive repeat administration of Tofacitinib Citrate Topical Gel 3.2% BID for 14 days.

02

Conditions studied

  • Healthy Subjects
03

In context

Lead sponsor

TWi Biotechnology, Inc. is the lead sponsor of 11 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 60 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

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

  1. Male or female, smoker (no more than 25 cigarettes or equivalent daily) or non-smoker, ≥18 and ≤60 years of age, with >18.5 and \<30.0 kg/m2 and body weight ≥50.0 kg for males and ≥45.0 kg for females.
  2. Healthy as defined by:

    1. The absence of illness. Subjects vomiting within 24 hours pre dose will be carefully evaluated for upcoming illness/disease. Inclusion pre dosing is at the discretion of the Investigator;
    2. The absence of clinically significant history of dermatological, neurological, endocrine, cardiovascular, respiratory, hematological, immunological, psychiatric, gastrointestinal, renal, hepatic, and metabolic disease.
  3. Females of who are sexually active with a male partner must be willing to use one of the following acceptable methods throughout the study and for 30 days after the last study drug administration:

    1. Intra-uterine contraceptive device without hormone release system placed at least 4 weeks prior to study drug administration;
    2. Male condom with intravaginally applied spermicide started at least 21 days prior to study drug administration;
    3. Sterile male partner (vasectomized since at least 6 months).
  4. Absence of excessive body hair at the topical application site, or willing to have excess body hair removed prior to dosing.
  5. Capable of consent.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Presence of any abnormality at physical examination, clinically significant abnormal laboratory assessment or positive test for , , or found during medical screening.
  2. Positive urine drug screen or alcohol breath test at screening.
  3. History of allergic reactions to tofacitinib or other related drugs, or to any in the formulation.
  4. Positive pregnancy test at screening.
  5. Clinically significant abnormalities or vital sign abnormalities (systolic blood pressure lower than 90 or over 140 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure lower than 50 or over 90 mmHg, or heart rate less than 50 or over 100 bpm) at screening.
  6. History of significant alcohol abuse within 1 year prior to screening or regular use of alcohol within 6 months prior to the screening visit (more than 14 units of alcohol per week [1 unit = 150 mL of wine, 360 mL of beer, or 45 mL of 40% alcohol]).
  7. History of significant drug abuse within 1 year prior to screening or use of soft drugs (such as marijuana) within 3 months prior to the screening visit or hard drugs (such as cocaine, phencyclidine [PCP], crack, opioid derivatives including heroin, and amphetamine derivatives) within 1 year prior to screening.
  8. Participation in a clinical research study involving the administration of an or marketed drug or device within 30 days prior to the first dosing, administration of a biological product in the context of a clinical research study within 90 days prior to the first dosing, or concomitant participation in an investigational study involving no drug or device administration.
  9. Use of medications for the timeframes specified below, with the exception of medications exempted by the Investigator on a case-by-case basis because they are judged unlikely to affect the pharmacokinetic profile of the study drug or subject safety e.g. topical drug products without significant systemic absorption (not including topical drug products administered to the gel application site):

    1. Prescription medications within 14 days prior to the first dosing;
    2. Over-the-counter products and natural health products (including herbal remedies, homeopathic and traditional medicines, probiotics, food supplements such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids, and protein supplements used in sports) within 7 days prior to the first dosing, with the exception of the occasional use of acetaminophen (up to 2 g daily);
    3. Depot injection or implant of any drug within 3 months prior to the first dosing;
    4. Any drugs known to induce or inhibit hepatic drug metabolism via the and CYP2C19 enzymes within 30 days prior to first dose;

      • Examples of inducers for CYP3A4 include barbiturates, carbamazepine, phenytoin, , St. John's wort, etc.
      • Examples of inhibitors for CYP3A4 include HIV antivirals, clarithromycin, ciprofloxacin, gestodene, etc.
      • Examples of inducers for CYP2C19 include carbamazepine, norethindrone, prednisone, rifampicin, etc.
      • Examples of inhibitors for CYP2C19 include proton pump inhibitors, fluoxetine, ketoconazole, etc.
  10. Donation of plasma within 7 days prior to dosing. Donation or loss of blood (excluding volume drawn at screening) of 50 mL to 499 mL of blood within 30 days, or more than 499 mL within 56 days prior to the first dosing.
  11. Breast-feeding subject.
  12. History of active tuberculosis or exposure to endemic areas within 8 weeks prior to QuantiFERON®-TB testing performed at screening.
  13. Positive QuantiFERON®-TB indicating possible tuberculosis infection.
  14. Immunization with a within 1 month prior to dosing or planned vaccination during the course of the study.
  15. History of clinically significant opportunistic infection e.g. invasive candidiasis or pneumocystis pneumonia.
  16. Serious local infection e.g. cellulitis, abscess, or systemic infection e.g. septicemia, within 3 months prior to screening.
  17. Presence of fever (body temperature >37.6 °C) e.g. a fever associated with a symptomatic viral or bacterial infection, within 2 weeks prior to the first dosing.
  18. Presence of sunburn at the gel application site, or excessive exposure to ultraviolet light such as sunlight or a tanning lamp, or recent use of laser at the gel application areas that would prevent a safe application of the gel formulation as judged by the Investigator, within 7 days before the gel application.
  19. Presence of tattoos or significant skin aberrations at the gel application site, which in the opinion of the investigator, would interfere with the ability to perform an accurate dermal reaction assessment.
  20. Any reason that, in the opinion of the Investigator, would prevent the subject from participating in the study.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(13)

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.

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.

Childbearing potential

Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).

Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Excipients

The other ingredients in a medicine besides the active drug, such as fillers, colours or preservatives.

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.

Investigational drug or device

A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.

It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.

CYP3A (CYP3A4) inhibitors and inducers

CYP3A is a group of enzymes, mainly CYP3A4, in the liver and gut that break down many medicines. Some medicines, supplements and foods (grapefruit, St John’s wort) slow them down or speed them up, which changes how much of a study drug stays in the body.

Studies list them so they can be avoided or switched; bring a list of everything you take, including supplements.

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.

Live vaccines

Vaccines made with a weakened form of the germ, such as measles–mumps–rubella (MMR), chickenpox and yellow fever. They can be risky when the immune system is weakened. Flu injections are not live; the nasal flu spray is.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Sequential assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
20 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Pharmacokinetic Study

    Period 1 (Day 1) and 2 (Day 8 - Day 21) separated by 7-day washout period. Period 1: A single 5 mg tofacitinib tablet will be administered orally on Day 1. Period 2: Repeat dosing of Tofacitinib Citrate Topical Gel 3.2% to approximately 10% BSA in the morning of Day 8 and twice daily from Day 9 to Day 20 with the last dose in the morning of Day 21.

    Drug: Tofacitinib Citrate

Interventions

  • Period 1: Xelijanz® 5 mg tablet (tofacitinib citrate) for single oral dosing. Period 2: Tofacitinib Citrate Topical Gel 3.2% for repeat topical dosing BID for 14 days.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Maximum Plasma Concentration [Cmax] of tofacitinib from single oral dosing in Period 1

    Time frame: Day 1

  2. Area Under Curve [AUC] of tofacitinib from single oral dosing in Period 1

    Time frame: Day 1

  3. Maximum Plasma Concentration [Cmax] of tofacitinib from repeat topical dosing in Period 2

    Time frame: Day 8

  4. Area Under Curve [AUC] of tofacitinib from repeat topical dosing in Period 2

    Time frame: Day 8

  5. Maximum Plasma Concentration [Cmax] of tofacitinib from repeat topical dosing in Period 2

    Time frame: Day 21

  6. Area Under Curve [AUC] of tofacitinib from repeat topical dosing in Period 2

    Time frame: Day 21

  7. Safety and tolerability of Tofacitinib Citrate Topical Gel 3.2% as assessed by treatment-emergent adverse events and Dermal Reaction Scoring, respectively.

    Time frame: Day 24

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Syneos Health Facility
    Québec, Canada
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

1 registry update since Sep 25, 2026
Enrollment
14→20
Oct 15, 2026
Show all 1 update
  1. Oct 15, 2026
    Enrollment 14→20
    + 3 other changes: verification date, registry notes and index terms

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04468425
Lead sponsor
TWi Biotechnology, Inc.
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jul 13, 2020
Start date
Oct 14, 2020
Primary completion
Dec 21, 2020
Completion
Dec 21, 2020
Last update
Oct 15, 2026

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Oct 2026. 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: Tofacitinib

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