ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT07806357Updated Sep 8, 2026

Prednisolone Monotherapy Versus Prednisolone Plus Methotrexate in ENL

A Phase 1 interventional study of Efficacy and Safety of Prednisolone Monotherapy Versus Prednisolone Plus Methotrexate in Erythema Nodosum Leprosum (Type 2 Lepra Reaction) in Leprosy, sponsored by Chittagong Medical College. Completed at 1 site in Bangladesh. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-08.

Sponsored by Chittagong Medical College · Phase 1, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 6 years 8 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Jun 2018, registered Feb 2025).
Phase
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
19
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) is characterized by painful nodules and systemic compromising. It is usually recurrent and/or chronic and has both physical and economic impact on the patient, being a very important cause of morbidity and mortality. In addition, ENL is a major health problem in developing countries like Bangladesh where leprosy is endemic. Therefore, adequate control of this condition is important to reduce morbidity and mortality.

The treatment of ENL is usually started with steroids which have many adverse effects when given for prolonged periods and in high doses. However, recently in some case reports MTX appears to have a beneficial effect in cases of ENL. Also, MTX may provide a cheaper and convenient option in management of ENL.

However, there is paucity of well-designed randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of MTX in the treatment of ENL. In this context such studies are needed. The investigator therefore designed this randomize trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of combined MTX and Prednisolone over Prednisolone monotherapy in local setting. The investigator combined reducing doses of Prednisolone with a low dose MTX to minimize dose related complications, while maximizing benefit in controlling ENL. If the study results would show the superiority of combined regimen as found elsewhere in the World, it would be helpful to reduce the morbidity of ENL Patients.

02

Conditions studied

  • Leprosy

Browse trials for

03

In context

Leprosy

52 studies on the registry are indexed under Leprosy; 13 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 19 is below the median of 70 across 41 interventional studies indexed under Leprosy.

Browse Leprosy studies →

Lead sponsor

Chittagong Medical College is the lead sponsor of 15 studies on the registry; 8 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. Patient with ENL had crops of tender subcutaneous skin lesions with systemic features including fever (temperature >38°C), neuritis, joint pain, bone tenderness, orchitis, iritis, oedema, malaise, anorexia and lymphadenopathy.
  2. Patients of both sexes with age ranging 18 years to 65 years.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria:

  1. Erythema nodosum associated with other disorder.
  2. Pregnant and lactating women.
  3. Diagnosed case of chronic hepatic, renal, hematological or other connective tissue disorders, Osteoporosis.
  4. Severely ill, immune-suppressed patients like /AIDS and patients of internal .
  5. Patients or guardians not willing to participate in the study by signing form.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

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.

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.

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.

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.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
19 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    oral Prednisolone alone

    10 patient

    Drug: Efficacy and Safety of Prednisolone Monotherapy Versus Prednisolone Plus Methotrexate in Erythema Nodosum Leprosum (Type 2 Lepra Reaction)

  • Experimental
    oral Methotrexate plus Prednisol

    9 patient

    Drug: Efficacy and Safety of Prednisolone Monotherapy Versus Prednisolone Plus Methotrexate in Erythema Nodosum Leprosum (Type 2 Lepra Reaction)

Interventions

  • DrugEfficacy and Safety of Prednisolone Monotherapy Versus Prednisolone Plus Methotrexate in Erythema Nodosum Leprosum (Type 2 Lepra Reaction)

    For Group A: Each of the selected patients of group A received Tablet Methotrexate 2.5 mg 3 doses (12 hour apart), 7.5mg per week for 6 months and Tablet Prednisolone (40mg/day) tapering over 3 months. Reducing 5 mg of prednisolone every 2 weekly up to 20 mg/day then 5 mg every week for 1 month. And Methotrexate was used 7.5 mg weekly as maintenance dose. For Group B: Patients of group B received Prednisolone (40mg/day) tapering over 6 months. Reducing 5 mg every 2 weeks up to 20 mg (2 months) then 20 mg continued for 10 weeks. Then reduced 5 mg every 2 weeks up to 24 weeks.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Efficacy and Safety of Prednisolone Monotherapy Versus Prednisolone Plus Methotrexate in Erythema Nodosum Leprosum (Type 2 Lepra Reaction)

    Primary outcome: Improvement in Reaction severity assessment score by observing signs and symptoms like tender skin ENL nodules.

    Time frame: 01.06.2018 to 31.12.2019 total 18 months

  2. Efficacy and Safety of Prednisolone Monotherapy Versus Prednisolone Plus Methotrexate in Erythema Nodosum Leprosum (Type 2 Lepra Reaction)

    Primary outcome: Improvement in Reaction severity by Physicians Global Assessment changes in number of tender Erythema Nodosum Leprosum skin nodules

    Time frame: 01.06.2018 to 31.12.2019 total 18 months

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Chittagong Medical College
    Chittagong, 4203, Bangladesh
08

References and documents

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Ran from Jun 2018 to primary completion in Dec 2019, 18 months.

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

Registered
Feb 5, 2025
First posted
Sep 8, 2026
StartActual
Jun 1, 2018
Primary completionActual
Dec 31, 2019
CompletionActual
Dec 31, 2019
Last update
Sep 8, 2026
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 Sep 8, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07806357
Lead sponsor
Chittagong Medical College
Responsible party
Mohammad Rafiqul Mowla (MBBS, MD, PHD, Chittagong Medical College) — Principal investigator
First posted
Sep 8, 2026
Start date
Jun 1, 2018
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2019
Completion
Dec 31, 2019
Last update
Sep 8, 2026

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 completed, as verified in Sep 2026. 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.

Start the discussion