A Phase 4 interventional study of Prednisolone and Dapsone in Bullous Pemphigoid, sponsored by All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar. Completed at 1 site in India. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-08-14.
Sponsored by All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar · Phase 4, Interventional, and Treatment
Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune subepidermal blistering disorder most commonly affecting the older population between 60-80 years old. The characteristic feature of BP is itchy patches associated with blisters and erosions. BP significantly affects the patient's quality of life as it causes physical discomfort with itchy patches, blisters, and erosions. Several pieces of evidence from previous studies showed that the production of autoantibodies against the hemidesmosomal anchoring proteins BP180 (Bullous Pemphigoid antigen (BPAG 2)) and BP230 (BPAG 1) is the most common cause for bullous pemphigoid.
Therapeutic latency, lack of efficacy in many patients, and adverse drug reactions are the primary concerns in the current bullous pemphigoid treatment paradigm, including high-dose steroid treatment. To overcome these treatment challenges, combination therapy with agents having a steroid-sparing effect like mycophenolate mofetil, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, and Methotrexate are tested as an add-on to low-dose steroids. 8So other immunosuppressive agents with better safety profiles and more efficacy, like Dapsone and Methotrexate as an add-on to low-dose steroids, can be used.
Investigator's literature search found no randomized controlled trial with Dapsone versus Methotrexate as an add-on to first-line steroid has been conducted to compare the efficacy and safety in bullous pemphigoid patients. So, a randomized controlled trial has been planned to evaluate the safety and efficacy of add-on methotrexate versus Dapsone in bullous pemphigoid patients.
64 studies on the registry are indexed under Pemphigoid, Bullous; 8 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 62 is above the median of 30 across 39 interventional studies indexed under Pemphigoid, Bullous.
Browse Pemphigoid, Bullous studies →All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar is the lead sponsor of 59 studies on the registry; 25 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
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.
Exclusion Criteria:
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.
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.
A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.
Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.
The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.
Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).
An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.
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.
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.
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.
Bilirubin
A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.
Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
NYHA class (heart failure)
The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.
Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Cancer (malignancy)
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Immunosuppression
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hemoglobin (Hb)
The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hypersensitivity
An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.
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.
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.
prednisolone 0.75mg/kg/day (a maximum dose of 40mg at baseline) and Methotrexate 15 mg weekly for 16 weeks.
Drug: Prednisolone · Drug: Methotrexate
prednisolone 0.75mg/kg/day (a maximum dose of 40mg at baseline) and Dapsone 100 mg/day for 16 weeks
Drug: Prednisolone · Drug: Dapsone
prednisolone 0.75mg/kg/day (a maximum dose of 40mg at baseline) orally
Dapsone 100 mg/day
Methotrexate 15 mg weekly
change in BPDAI (Bullous Pemphigoid Disease Area Index) score
change in BPDAI (Bullous Pemphigoid Disease Area Index) score after treatment with prednisolone and methotraxate Vs Prednisolone and dapsone Score range from 0-360 (Minimum 0 and maximum 360) higher scores indicating greater disease activity
Time frame: 8 weeks and 16 weeks
change in serum BP180
change in serum BP180 after treatment with prednisolone and methotraxate Vs Prednisolone and dapsone
Time frame: 16 weeks
the remission rate
remission is defined as complete subsidence of all lesions without prednisolone or minimal prednisolone dose of 10 mg or less
Time frame: 8 weeks and 16 weeks
the cumulative prednisolone dose
cumulative prednisolone dose after treatment with prednisolone and methotraxate Vs Prednisolone and dapsone
Time frame: 16 weeks
time to the initial flare
time to the initial flare after treatment with prednisolone and methotraxate Vs Prednisolone and dapsone
Time frame: 16 weeks
number of flares in study groups
number of flares in study groups after treatment with prednisolone and methotraxate Vs Prednisolone and dapsone
Time frame: 16 weeks
change in the Dermatological life quality index (DLQI)
change in the Dermatological life quality index (DLQI) after treatment with prednisolone and methotraxate Vs Prednisolone and dapsone maximum of 30 and a minimum of 0 The higher the score, the more quality of life is impaired.
Time frame: 8 weeks and 16 weeks
treatment-emergent adverse events
treatment-emergent adverse events in both the groups
Time frame: 16 weeks
Plan to share: No
Ran from Aug 2023 to primary completion in Jan 2025, 17 months.
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Studies of the drug tested here: Dapsone
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar