ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT06850311Updated Feb 27, 2025

Herbal Ointment in Treating Atopic Dermatitis Topically

A Phase 2/3 interventional study of herbal ointment and Placebo in Atopic Dermatitis, Atopic Dermatitis (AD) and Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema), sponsored by En Chu Kong Hospital. Recruiting at 1 site in Taiwan. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-02-27.

Sponsored by En Chu Kong Hospital · Phase 2/3, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 2/3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
66
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Atopic dermatitis (AD), also known as atopic eczema, is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder. The current first-line recommended treatment for AD is the use of emollients, topical corticosteroids (TCS), and oral antihistamines if necessary. However, patients often have side effects like skin atrophy and telangiectasia. And there were plenty of herbal medicine which are beneficial to atopic dermatitis in ancient Chinese medicine books and records. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a new topical application of traditional Chinese medicine and evaluate its clinical efficacy in AD patients. In human trial, 66 Subjects diagnosed as AD will be enrolled and treated with Sophora flavescens Aiton topical ointment. After treatment we will estimate the efficacy and record adverse events to conduct statistically analysis.

The 1st year project: (1) Expect to enroll 66 clinical subjects of AD. (2) Evaluate subjects 'symptom and proceed herbal ointment treatment. (3) Record treatment responses including adverse effect. (4) Conduct statistically analysis.

The 2nd year project: (1) Completing enrollment of 66 clinical subjects of AD. (2) Finish evaluation and treatment of all subjects. (3) Statistically analysis all collecting data (4) Discuss and analyze the outcome.

02

Conditions studied

  • Atopic Dermatitis
  • Atopic Dermatitis (AD)
  • Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema)
  • Atopic Dermatitis Eczema
  • TCM
  • Skin Diseases
  • Skin Diseases, Eczematous
  • Skin Diseases, Genetic
03

In context

Dermatitis, Atopic

1,591 studies on the registry are indexed under Dermatitis, Atopic; 286 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 66 is below the median of 82 across 1,246 interventional studies indexed under Dermatitis, Atopic.

Browse Dermatitis, Atopic studies →

Lead sponsor

En Chu Kong Hospital is the lead sponsor of 10 studies on the registry; 4 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 65 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. Between 18 and 65 years old, female or male.
  2. Atopic dermatitis fulfilling the diagnostic criteria of Hanifin\&Rajka.
  3. Atopic dermatitis involving \<10% of BSA. (Base on the BSA result of Screening)
  4. An Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) score of 2, 3 or 4 which corresponds to mild, moderate or severe disease. (Base on the IGA result of Screening)
  5. Female patients of child-bearing age with negative pregnancy test at screening.
  6. Female patients of child-bearing age that agree to continue using measures approved by the investigator and agree not to lactate for the duration of the study.

Agree to only receive stable doses of an additive-free, basic bland emollient for at least 7 days before baseline (day0) Willing to comply with study protocol and agree to sign an form.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Having a history of topical or systematical to herbal or its (e.g. vehicle) in ointment
  2. Undergoing phototherapy (e.g. UVB, PUVA) or systemic therapy (e.g. agents) within 30 days.
  3. Having used topical or oral therapy (e.g. topical , antibiotic, TCM) for dermatitis within 7 days before the first application of the study medication.
  4. Having a significant concurrent disease, such as: significant abnormalities in hematology, severe uncontrolled metabolic syndrome (e.g., hypertension, diabetes mellitus, metabolic arthritis, hyperthyroidism), psychiatric disease, cancer or AIDS.
  5. Having abnormal liver or renal function (/ALT >3 x , creatinine >2.0 mg/dl).
  6. Women who are lactating, pregnant or preparing to be pregnant.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(8)

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.

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.

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.

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.

Excipients

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

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.

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.

ALT and AST (liver enzymes)

Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.

Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.

ULN (upper limit of normal)

The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.

“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2 / Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
66 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    herbal ointment

    1. Form: ointment 2. Dose: each gram of ointment contains TCM 3. Dosing schedule: apply 0.5g of ointment per 10 x 10 dermatitis lesion twice daily

    Drug: herbal ointment · Drug: Placebo

  • Placebo comparator
    placebo ointment

    1. Form: ointment 2. Dose: vehicle 3. Dosing schedule: apply 0.5g of ointment per 10 x 10 dermatitis lesion twice daily

    Drug: herbal ointment · Drug: Placebo

Interventions

  • Drugherbal ointment

    Every 10 x 10 cm area of lesion requires 0.5 g of ointment, applied twice daily (morning and evening, separated by approximately 12±2 hours) for 4 weeks

  • DrugPlacebo

    Every 10 x 10 cm area of lesion requires 0.5 g of ointment, applied twice daily (morning and evening, separated by approximately 12±2 hours) for 4 weeks.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Percentage change in Eczema Area Severity Index (EASI) scores from baseline to week 4

    The Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) is used to measure the disease severity of erythema, infiltration/papulation, excoriation, and lichenification each on a scale of 0 to 3 (none to severe) as well as the percentage of disease area on a scale of 0 to 6 for the head ⁄ neck, upper limb, trunk and lower limb body regions. Each body region score is calculated by multiplying the disease severity score by the disease area score and by the multiplier. The scores are summed to give the total EASI score, ranging from 0 to a maximum 72. The mean percentage change in EASI = (EASI baseline-EASI post-treat) / EASI baseline x 100%

    Time frame: 4 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Proportion of subjects who have achieved EASI-50, EASI-75, and EASI-90 after 4 weeks of treatment

    It is defined as at least 50%, 75%, and 90% reduction in EASI score relative to the baseline.

    Time frame: 4 weeks

  2. The mean change in Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI)from baseline to week 4

    The DLQI is a self-administered 10-item questionnaire, ranges from 0 (best) to 30 (worst); the higher the score, the more quality of life is impaired.

    Time frame: 4 weeks

  3. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pruritus severity rates

    from 0 (no itching) to 10 (very severe itching)

    Time frame: 4 weeks

  4. The mean percentage change in Total Body Surface Area involved with AD (BSA, range 0%-100%) from baseline to week 4

    BSA is total Body Surface Area involved, ranging from 0% (none) to 100% (total body surface involved)

    Time frame: 4 weeks

  5. Proportion of subjects with a change in Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA, range 0-5 from baseline to week 4. )

    1. Proportion of subjects with an IGA score of 0 (clear) or 1 (almost clear) at week 6. 2. Proportion of subjects with ≥ 2 point improvement in IGA at week 4.

    Time frame: 4 weeks

  6. TCMBCQ (Time Frame: Change from Baseline TCMBCQ at 4weeks)

    Traditional Chinese Medicine Body Constitution Questionnaire

    Time frame: 4 weeks

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — primary and secondary outcome of this study

Supporting information: Informed consent form, Clinical study report

Time frame: information sharing after paper published

Access criteria: all in public, without any kind of review

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Start is estimated for Mar 2025; primary completion for Mar 2027, 24 months later.

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

Registered
Feb 23, 2025
First posted
Feb 27, 2025
StartEst.
Mar 1, 2025
Primary completionEst.
Mar 1, 2027
CompletionEst.
Apr 1, 2027
Last update
Feb 27, 2025
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 Feb 27, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06850311
Lead sponsor
En Chu Kong Hospital
Responsible party
Chi-Wen Huang, MD (attending physician of department of Traditional Chinese medicine, En Chu Kong Hospital) — Principal investigator
First posted
Feb 27, 2025
Start date
Mar 1, 2025 (estimated)
Primary completion
Mar 1, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Apr 1, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Feb 27, 2025

Study contacts

Ms. Chen
Contact
11759@km.eck.org.tw
886+(02)+27623456 #3118

Oversight

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

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