ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT06079788Updated Oct 12, 2023

Study of Adrenocorticotropic Hormone on Children With Frequent Relapse or Steroid-dependent Nephrotic Syndrome: a Prospective, Multicenter, Randomized,Open-label Clinical Trial.

A Phase 3 interventional study of Adrenocorticotrophic Hormone and Steroid in Nephrotic Syndrome in Children, sponsored by Mao Jianhua. Recruiting at 8 sites in China. Open to participants aged 2 Years to 14 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-10-12.

Sponsored by Mao Jianhua · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Jun 2026, 4 months ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
Phase
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
140
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
2 Years to 14 Years
Sex
All
01

Where this study stands

Counted across the records on this site · 2026-11-12

Among 34 studies in Nephrotic Syndrome with a site in China — 19 open to participants now, 21 under way, 5 of them phase 3. Nephrotic Syndrome · China.

Planned enrollment
4th of 25
140 · median 36
Started
2023
with 5 others
Phase 3
10 of 34
5 open now
Primary completion
2026-06
later than 4 of 20 live
Registered
20th of 34
by date
Lead sponsor
2 of 34
Mao Jianhua

Among the 34 studies in Nephrotic Syndrome with a site in China, this one is the 4th largest by planned enrollment of the 25 interventional ones, is one of 6 that started in 2023, is one of 10 in phase 3, reaches primary completion later than 4 of the 20 other live ones, and was the 20th registered.

By phase

34 studies; the count open now beside each. This study's row is marked.

Phase 3this study10 · 5 open
Observational9 · 4 open
Phase 17 · 7 open
Phase 24 · 2 open
Phase 43 · 1 open
No phase1 · 0 open

By the year they started

First in 2011; this study’s year is marked. 6 started in 2023.

Size and results

Median enrollment 36 across the 25 interventional studies, 300 across the 9 observational. Of the 9 that completed or were terminated, 1 (11%) have results posted.

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Watch this landscapeDownload CSVWith an account: a weekly mail of what changed among 34 studies in Nephrotic Syndrome with a site in China, or all of them as a file.
02

Study summary

Primary nephrotic syndrome accounts for approximately 90% of the total number of nephrotic syndrome in childhood and it is the most common glomerular disease in children. Although treatment with steroids is useful for primary nephrotic syndrome, proving to cause frequent relapse/steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome after treatment and the usage of immunosuppressive agents has become a new choice for the treatment of such patients. This study is a prospective, multicenter, randomized,open-label clinical trial, evaluating the efficacy and safety of steroid combined with adrenocorticotrophic hormone(ACTH) to children who with frequently relapsing or steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome, all we wish to obtain the proper drug choice and individualized treatment options for children with nephrotic syndrome.

Read the detailed description

Although steroids are recognized as first-line treatments for nephrotic syndrome, the vast majority of children relapse, and about half of them have frequent relapse or steroids dependence after treatment with steroids alone. Some children experienced steroids-resistance after multiple relapses, and eventually developed into chronic kidney dysfunction. Long-term or repeated application of large doses of steroids will lead to side effects such as obesity, growth retardation, and hypertension. Although the treatment of steroids with immunosuppressive agents is a new choice for the treatment of such patients, traditional immunosuppressive agents will bring some serious irreversible side effects.

The clinical application of ACTH in children with nephrotic syndrome dates back to the late 1940s. In recent years, the new mechanism of action of ACTH is also being explored. A number of clinical studies on the treatment of nephrotic syndrome by ACTH have found that it can still achieve good efficacy in patients who are ineffective in first-line treatment. This study evaluated the efficacy of ACTH in the treatment of relapsing or steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome in children, in order to provide a more effective and safer treatment for children with nephrotic syndrome as well as the therapeutic medication options.

03

Conditions studied

  • Nephrotic Syndrome in Children

Browse trials for

Keywords

  • Nephrotic Syndrome
  • Frequently Relapsing Nephrotic Syndrome
  • Steroid Dependent Nephrotic Syndrome
  • Adrenocorticotropic Hormone
04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
2 Years to 14 Years
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

  1. Age 2-14 years old;
  2. Sensitive but frequent relapses or dependence nephrotic syndrome
  3. No severe hormonal side effects and/or low-dose steroids dependent idiopathic nephrotic syndrome in children (defined as two relapses with an average dose \< 0.5mg/kg/day or equivalent alternate-day dose)
  4. Normal renal function: ≥90ml/min/1.73m2;
  5. Morning urine protein \<1+ or urine protein-creatinine ratio \<0.2g/g (\<20 mg/mmol) for 3 consecutive days and above when in enroll;
  6. Prednisone dose was 1.5-2 mg/kg per day before admission;
  7. No use of other (such as tacrolimus, mortecophenolate, cyclosporin A, cyclophosphamide, levamisole, imidazole ribin, or tripterygium, etc.) within 3 months, and no use of rituximab or beliumab within 6 months.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Family history of nephrotic syndrome, chronic glomerulonephritis, uremia and other kidney diseases;
  2. Patients with congenital or acquired immunodeficiency, or with active tuberculosis, active CMV, EBV, , , infection, deep fungal infection, or other active infections;
  3. Recurrent or persistent hypertension;
  4. Secondary nephrotic syndrome, such as nephrotic syndrome secondary to systemic lupus erythematosus, diabetes, drug poisoning and infection;
  5. Combined with other kidney diseases, such as polycystic kidney, ANCA vasculitis, urinary system malformations, etc.;
  6. Patients with hypertension, diabetes, tuberculosis, suppurative or fungal infection, gastric and duodenal ulcer disease and heart failure; Patients with other serious heart, liver and other important organs, blood system, endocrine system and other system lesions;
  7. Co-occurrence of other monogenic genetic diseases known to affect the condition of nephrotic syndrome;
  8. Patients with serious diseases or tumors;
  9. Use of other (such as tacrolimus, mortecophenolate, cyclosporin A, cyclophosphamide, levamisole, imidazole ribin, or tripterygium, etc.) within 3 months, and no use of rituximab or beliumab within 6 months;
  10. Patients who are known to be allergic to ACTH, , or any of the components of these drugs, and patients with severe hormone-related side effects
  11. History of organ transplantation (excluding corneal and hair transplantation);
  12. Patients who had participated in other clinical trials within three months prior to enrollment;
  13. Any patient whom the investigator determines is not suitable for inclusion in the trial.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(7)

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.

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.

GFR and eGFR (kidney filtering)

GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².

Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.

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.

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.

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.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
140 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Adrenocorticotrophic Hormone Group

    ACTH 2 IU/kg/ day, qd,(the maximum dose ≤ 50 IU), 28 days of continuous use for 5 days, for 24 weeks. Prednisone: 5mg;Oral tablets; 1.5-2 mg/kg, qod or 0.75-1mg/kg/day,qd

    Drug: Adrenocorticotrophic Hormone

  • Active comparator
    Steroid Group

    Prednisone: 5mg;Oral tablets; 1.5-2 mg/kg, qod or 0.75-1mg/kg/day,qd, then gradually taper the steroid by 0.25mg/kg (qod) or 0.125mg/kg (qd) every 4 weeks.

    Drug: Steroid

Interventions

  • For patients in complete remission, ACTH is given at a prednisone dose of 1.5-2mg/kg qod or 0.75-1mg/kg qd. ACTH 2 IU/kg/ day, qd,(the maximum dose ≤ 50 IU), 28 days of continuous use for 5 days, for 24 weeks. Prednisone: 5mg;Oral tablets; 1.5-2 mg/kg, qod or 0.75-1mg/kg/day,qd, then gradually taper the steroid by 0.25mg/kg qod or 0.125mg/kg qd every 4 weeks.If stable, taper to 5mg qod (body surface area \> 1.0m2) and 2.5mg qod (body surface area \< 1.0m2) and maintain the dose until study completion.

    Also known as: ACTH

  • For patients in complete remission, Prednisone: 5mg;Oral tablets; 1.5-2 mg/kg, qod or 0.75-1mg/kg/day,qd, then gradually taper the steroid by 0.25mg/kg qod or 0.125mg/kg qd every 4 weeks. If stable, taper to 5mg qod (body surface area \> 1.0m2) and 2.5mg qod (body surface area \< 1.0m2) and maintain the dose until study completion.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Recurrence-free survival time(day) within 48 weeks

    Recurrence-free survival time(day) within 48 weeks

    Time frame: Within 48 weeks after randomization

Secondary outcomes

  1. Number of relapses during 48 weeks follow up

    Number of nephrotic syndrome relapses per patient year during the 48 weeks after randomization

    Time frame: Within 48 weeks after randomization

  2. The first time to relapse

    The first time to relapse after patients taking part in this study

    Time frame: Within 48 weeks after randomization

  3. Cumulative prednisone dosage (milligrams per kilogram per year)

    The total dosage of prednisones from the beginning to the end of the trial

    Time frame: Within 48 weeks after randomization

  4. Change in renal function of the patients

    The change for renal function was judged by the changes of serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate in each follow-up during the study

    Time frame: Within 48 weeks after randomization

  5. Change in anthropometry and growth velocity during 48 weeks after randomization

    Changes in standard deviation scores for weight, height and body mass index during 48 weeks after randomization

    Time frame: Within 48 weeks after randomization

  6. Change in serum cholesterol, hemoglobin and blood albumin of the patients

    The changes of serum cholesterol, hemoglobin and blood albumin in each follow-up during the study

    Time frame: Within 48 weeks after randomization

  7. Incidence of infection

    The incidence of infection during the study

    Time frame: Within 48 weeks after randomization

  8. Adverse event

    The number of harmful reactions and the types of adverse events during the study

    Time frame: Within 48 weeks after randomization

07

Study locations

8 of 8 sites recruiting
  • Tongji Hospital
    Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
    Recruiting
    • Jianhua Zhou, MD · Contact
    • Jianhua Zhou, MD · Principal investigator
  • Nanjing Children's Hospital
    Nanjing, Jiangsu 210008, China
    Recruiting
    • Fei Zhao, MD · Contact
    • Fei Zhao, MD · Principal investigator
  • Kunming Children's Hospital
    Kunming, Yunnan 650000, China
    Recruiting
    • bo Zhao, MD · Contact
  • Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine
    Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
    Recruiting
  • Ningbo Women & Children's Hospital
    Ningbo, Zhejiang 315000, China
    Recruiting
    • huaqiao Qiao, MD · Contact
  • Yuying Childrens Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University
    Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, China
    Recruiting
    • xuan de Wang, MD · Contact
  • Children's Hospital affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics
    Beijing, 100000, China
    Recruiting
    • chaoying chen, MD · Contact
  • Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
    Shanghai, 200000, China
    Recruiting
    • guimei Guo, MD · Contact
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Wang CS, Greenbaum LA. Nephrotic Syndrome. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2019 Feb;66(1):73-85. doi: 10.1016/j.pcl.2018.08.006. PubMed 30454752 ↗
  • Wong W. Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome in New Zealand children, demographic, clinical features, initial management and outcome after twelve-month follow-up: results of a three-year national surveillance study. J Paediatr Child Health. 2007 May;43(5):337-41. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1754.2007.01077.x. PubMed 17489822 ↗
  • Chakraborty R, Mehta A, Nair N, Nemer L, Jain R, Joshi H, Raina R. ACTH Treatment for Management of Nephrotic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Reappraisal. Int J Nephrol. 2020 Jun 4;2020:2597079. doi: 10.1155/2020/2597079. eCollection 2020. PubMed 32566293 ↗
  • Lieberman KV, Pavlova-Wolf A. Adrenocorticotropic hormone therapy for the treatment of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome in children and young adults: a systematic review of early clinical studies with contemporary relevance. J Nephrol. 2017 Feb;30(1):35-44. doi: 10.1007/s40620-016-0308-3. Epub 2016 Apr 16. PubMed 27084801 ↗
  • Hladunewich MA, Cattran D, Beck LH, Odutayo A, Sethi S, Ayalon R, Leung N, Reich H, Fervenza FC. A pilot study to determine the dose and effectiveness of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (H.P. Acthar(R) Gel) in nephrotic syndrome due to idiopathic membranous nephropathy. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2014 Aug;29(8):1570-7. doi: 10.1093/ndt/gfu069. Epub 2014 Apr 8. PubMed 24714414 ↗
  • Hogan J, Bomback AS, Mehta K, Canetta PA, Rao MK, Appel GB, Radhakrishnan J, Lafayette RA. Treatment of idiopathic FSGS with adrenocorticotropic hormone gel. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2013 Dec;8(12):2072-81. doi: 10.2215/CJN.02840313. Epub 2013 Sep 5. PubMed 24009220 ↗
  • Zand L, Canetta P, Lafayette R, Aslam N, Jan N, Sethi S, Fervenza FC. An Open-Label Pilot Study of Adrenocorticotrophic Hormone in the Treatment of IgA Nephropathy at High Risk of Progression. Kidney Int Rep. 2019 Oct 31;5(1):58-65. doi: 10.1016/j.ekir.2019.10.007. eCollection 2020 Jan. Erratum In: Kidney Int Rep. 2020 Mar 03;5(3):382. doi: 10.1016/j.ekir.2020.01.024. PubMed 31922061 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Start is estimated for Nov 2023; primary completion for Jun 2026, 31 months later.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Oct 8, 2023
First posted
Oct 12, 2023
StartEst.
Nov 1, 2023
Primary completionEst.
Jun 30, 2026
CompletionEst.
Dec 31, 2026
Last update
Oct 12, 2023
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Oct 12, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06079788
Lead sponsor
Mao Jianhua
Collaborators
Tongji Hospital, Children's Hospital affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Kunming Children's Hospital, Yuying Childrens Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Ningbo Women & Children's Hospital
Responsible party
Mao Jianhua (professor, The Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine) — Sponsor-investigator
First posted
Oct 12, 2023
Start date
Nov 1, 2023 (estimated)
Primary completion
Jun 30, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 31, 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Oct 12, 2023

Study contacts

jianhua Mao, MD
Contact
maojh88@126.com
0571-87061007
yi Xie
Contact
ylfx27@163.com
yi Xie
study director · Recruiting

Oversight

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

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Studies of the drug tested here: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone

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