A Phase 3 interventional study of Anakinra and Prednisone in Pericarditis, sponsored by Istituto Giannina Gaslini. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 8 Months to 18 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-04-10.
Sponsored by Istituto Giannina Gaslini · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that anakinra provides more rapid disease control than steroids in the first month of treatment in the event of recurrent pericarditis and is more effective in preventing further exacerbations in patients aged between eight months and eighteen years of age with idiopathic or post-procedural pericarditis, unresponsive to first-line treatment with NSAIDs and colchicine at the appropriate dosage, or in case of colchicine intolerance. The efficacy of the two treatments will be evaluated by the capacity and timing of the two therapies to determine a complete control (clinical, laboratory and instrumental) of the disease and the absence of recurrences.
Although steroids represent the second-line treatment for recurrent pericarditis (RP), to be used in case of inadequate response to NSAIDs and colchicine, their use is controversial due to their side effects.
Indeed, in adult patients with RP it has been demonstrated that the use of steroids is associated with an increased risk of recurrence: in a study carried out in adult patients, 64% of patients taking high-dose steroids (> 1 mg/kg/ of prednisone or equivalent), and 32% of patients taking this low-dose drug (\< 1 mg/kg/day of prednisone or equivalent) relapsed. Furthermore, the therapy is associated with serious side effects and an increased risk of hospitalization, especially in patients treated with high doses. Finally, a high percentage of RP patients (both adult and pediatric) treated with steroids tend to become steroid-dependent, experiencing a disease exacerbation during tapering of treatment or soon after its discontinuation. The side effects associated with the chronic use of steroids are well known, especially in childhood, as their use is associated not only with reduced bone density, but also with growth retardation. Therefore, their long-term use is contraindicated, especially in children.
In a recent retrospective study of 58 pediatric patients with recurrent pericarditis treated with IL-1 inhibitors, a high steroid dependence rate was observed (45 of 48 treated patients). In this study, the presence of predictive factors associated with the possibility of achieving long-term remission was evaluated. Unfortunately, it could not be shown that avoiding steroid use was associated with an increased chance of withdrawing anakinra without relapse. This is likely due to the large variability of the cohort included in the retrospective study.
Therapy with anakinra in recurrent pericarditis is aimed at obtaining rapid and complete control of the disease and maintaining it over time, allowing the suspension of steroid therapy and thus reducing the risk of complications, chronicity and recurrence.
In the field of pediatric rheumatology, there is convincing evidence that in children with chronic arthritis a more aggressive therapy at an early stage can take advantage of the so-called "window of opportunity": according to this theory, early biological treatment can modify the pathogenetic mechanism of the disease by improving its long-term outcomes.
In particular, it has been shown that anakinra therapy in children with systemic JIA can lead to rapid attainment of inactive disease and allow for early discontinuation of treatment in the absence of recurrence in the majority of patients. Among all the rheumatological pathologies of the pediatric age, systemic JIA is the one that has the greatest similarities with autoinflammatory diseases due to the presence of fever, sometimes recurrent, rash and serositis, typical characteristics of AID, especially of inflammasomopathies. Recurrent pericarditis itself has many similarities to these conditions, as demonstrated by the efficacy of interleukin-1 inhibition. In fact, both of these conditions are considered by many to be real autoinflammatory diseases, with a multifactorial etiology. It is therefore reasonable to think that the concept of the "window of opportunity" can also be translated to recurrent pericarditis: the early blockade of cytokines could in fact abrogate the pathogenetic mechanism of the disease and therefore its chronic course and/or its relapses.
54 studies on the registry are indexed under Pericarditis; 23 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 48 is below the median of 60 across 29 interventional studies indexed under Pericarditis.
Browse Pericarditis studies →Istituto Giannina Gaslini is the lead sponsor of 54 studies on the registry; 36 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Pericarditis in the context of a systemic disease.
Female adolescents (≤18 years of age) of who do not agree to abstinence or, if sexually active, do not agree to the use of .
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Treatment with prednisone will be initiated at a dosage of 1 mg/kg/day (maximum 50 mg/day) in twice daily administration for 14 days. In case of complete response to treatment, prednisone will be reduced from day 14, otherwise it will be continued at 1 mg/kg/day until day 28 (week 4). Patients with complete response at day 28 will continue the study entering part 2, in which therapy will be progressively tapered. In part 2, prednisone will be tapered progressively by 0.1-0.15 mg/kg/day of prednisone (or 5 mg in patients on the maximum dose of 50 mg/day) from current treatment every week until the break. If there is no relapse, treatment will be discontinued over a 10-week period. Patients will then be evaluated every 4 weeks until the end of the study (week 24).
Drug: Prednisone
Treatment with anakinra will be initiated at a dose of 2 mg/kg/day (maximum dose 100 mg/day) as a single daily dose and maintained until day 28 (week 4). Patients who achieve a complete treatment response at week 4 (day 28) will continue the study into Part 2. Patients without a complete treatment response will drop out of the study. In Part 2 patients will continue daily anakinra treatment through week 12. The treatment will then be progressively reduced through the reduction of one weekly administration of the drug. The reductions will be made every 2 weeks until the interruption. Therefore, if no relapse occurs, treatment will be discontinued at week 24.
Drug: Anakinra
: Patients will continue daily treatment with anakinra up to week 12. Treatment will be then progressively tapered through the reduction of an administration of the drug per week. Reductions will be performed every 2 weeks up to discontinuation. Therefore, if a relapse does not occur, the treatment will be withdrawn at week 24.
Steroids will be progressively tapered with a reduction of 0,1-0,15 mg/kg/day of prednisone (or 5 mg in patients in treatment with the maximum dosage of 50 mg/day) from the ongoing treatment every week up to discontinuation. If a relapse does not occur, the treatment will be withdrawn in a period of time of 10 weeks.
Also known as: Steroid, Corticosteroid
Number of participants with complete response to treatment
Complete response to treatment at day 7
Time frame: Day 7
Number of participants with disease Flare
Absence of flare after 3 months of therapy
Time frame: 3 months
Time to response
Time to respond to treatment
Time frame: Up to 24 weeks
Number of participants with improved Quality of life
Evaluation of quality of life through specific questionnaire
Time frame: Up to 24 weeks
No study locations are listed for this record.
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for Jun 2023; primary completion for Jun 2025, 24 months later.
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This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Apr 2023. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Studies of the drug tested here: Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein
Istituto Giannina Gaslini