ClinicalTrials.gg
Status unknownNCT05283551Updated Mar 17, 2022

Famciclovir in Multiple Sclerosis

A Phase 2 interventional study of Famciclovir in Multiple Sclerosis, sponsored by Queen Mary University of London. Status unknown at 1 site in United Kingdom. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-03-17.

Sponsored by Queen Mary University of London · Phase 2, Interventional, and Health services research

The sponsor has not verified this record recently (last verified Feb 2022), so the status shown — last known as Recruiting — may be out of date.

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 1 year 2 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Nov 2020, registered Feb 2022).
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
30
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This is a proof-of-concept study in 30 patients with established Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS). IMP is Famciclovir. It is a phase II type A open label study. Each individuals participation in the study will last 36 weeks and will be divided into three phases: pre-treatment (12 weeks), treatment with famciclovir (12 weeks), and post-treatment (12 weeks). During the first 12 week phase patients will remain on their usual treatment alone; this will be followed by three months of co-treatment with famciclovir and then followed by a final three months post-famciclovir treatment where participants will continue to take their usual treatment for RRMS. The primary aim is to explore the effect of famciclovir (500mg BD) on Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) shedding in the saliva of patients with MS

02

Conditions studied

  • Multiple Sclerosis

Browse trials for

03

In context

Multiple Sclerosis

3,524 studies on the registry are indexed under Multiple Sclerosis; 668 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 30 is below the median of 50 across 2,386 interventional studies indexed under Multiple Sclerosis.

Browse Multiple Sclerosis studies →

Lead sponsor

Queen Mary University of London is the lead sponsor of 253 studies on the registry; 59 are open to participants now.

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

  • Diagnosed with MS
  • Males and females aged over 18
  • Taking Natalizumab (Tysabri) for the treatment of MS,
  • Be able to provide informed consent to take part in this study.
  • Female patients of childbearing potential (defined in section 13.4) must be willing to follow protocol contraceptive requirements.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Taking MS disease modifying treatment other than natalizumab (Tysabri)
  • On no treatment for MS
  • Taking additional immunomodulatory agents (either for MS treatment or other reasons)
  • Has received a course of high dose oral or intravenous steroids within 3 months of study entry. The use of low dose (total daily dose \<10mg) and/or the use of topical steroids will not act as an exclusion criteria.
  • Taking antiviral or antiretroviral medication for any reason
  • Known allergy to penciclovir, acyclovir, valaciclovir or famciclovir
  • Taking probenecid
  • Significant renal (CKD 3 or 4) and/or liver (ALT>3x ULN) impairment
  • Pregnant, or unwilling to take measures to prevent pregnancy
  • Breastfeeding
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Health services research
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
30 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Single arm

    Drug: Famciclovir

Interventions

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Effect of famciclovir on Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) shedding

    The primary outcome of this study is quantification of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) shedding in saliva in the IMP treatment phase (famciclovir 500mg BD) and post treatment phase of the Study compared with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) shedding in saliva in the pre-treatment phase of the Study Shedding is defined as EBV DNA levels in saliva \>5.8 copies/ml.

    Time frame: Baseline to 36 Weeks

Other outcomes

  1. Explore the effect of famciclovir (500mg BD) on serological markers of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection (anti-EBNA-1 and anti-VCA IgG)

    Level of serological markers of EBV infection (anti-EBNA-1 IgG and anti-VCA IgG) in particpants' blood in the IMP treatment phase (famciclovir 500mg BD) and post treatment phase of the Study compared with level of serological markers of EBV infection (anti-EBNA-1 IgG and anti-VCA IgG) in the pre-treatment phase of the Study

    Time frame: Baseline to 36 Weeks

  2. Explore the effect of famciclovir (500mg BD) on Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) viral replication in blood

    Level of of EBV DNA in particpants' blood in the IMP treatment phase (famciclovir 500mg BD) and post treatment phase of the Study compared with level of EBV DNA in in the pre-treatment phase of the Study

    Time frame: Baseline to 36 Weeks

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust
    London, E1 1BB, United Kingdom
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Dobson R, Holden D, Vickaryous N, Bestwick J, George K, Sayali T, Bianchi L, Wafa M, Gold J, Giovannoni G. A phase 2a open-label clinical trial to determine the effect of famciclovir on EBV activity as measured by EBV shedding in the saliva of patients with multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler. 2024 Jan;30(1):63-70. doi: 10.1177/13524585231215268. Epub 2023 Dec 22. PubMed 38131621 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 17, 2022, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05283551
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Mar 17, 2022
Start date
Nov 25, 2020
Primary completion
Nov 25, 2023 (estimated)
Completion
Nov 25, 2023 (estimated)
Last update
Mar 17, 2022

Study contacts

Ruth Dobson, MA MRCP PhD
Contact
ruth.dobson@qmul.ac.uk
0207 882 6463
Lucia Bianchi, PhD
Contact
l.bianchi@qmul.ac.uk
020 3594 0637

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is status unknown, as verified in Feb 2022. 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.

Studies of the drug tested here: Famciclovir

Start the discussion