Efficacy Study of Anakinra, Pentoxifylline, and Zinc Compared to Methylprednisolone in Severe Acute Alcoholic Hepatitis

NCT ID: NCT01809132

Last Updated: 2021-11-01

Study Results

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Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

PHASE2/PHASE3

Total Enrollment

104 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2013-09-30

Study Completion Date

2018-10-31

Brief Summary

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This study will compare two different treatments of acute alcoholic hepatitis. The current standard of care is treatment with corticosteroids (methylprednisolone). This will be compared to treatment with anakinra, pentoxifylline, plus zinc sulfate. The participants will be treated and followed for 6 months and the two treatment groups will be compared for differences in death rates and laboratory tests that measure liver and gut function.

Detailed Description

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This study will test the hypothesis that the syndrome of acute alcoholic hepatitis results from severe inflammation and dysregulated cytokines. Steroid monotherapy is not effective in all patients and this study will utilize compounds that have the potential to improve gut barrier function, to reduce the associated inflammation, and to prevent the development of hepatorenal syndrome and other organ failure.

Patients will be randomized to receive 28 days of methylprednisolone 32 mg daily OR therapy that includes a combination of anakinra (interleukin-1 receptor antagonist) 100mg by subcutaneous injection daily for 14 days plus pentoxifylline 400 mg orally three times daily for one month plus zinc supplements (220 mg of zinc sulfate) given orally for 6 months. This combination strategy will address the acute inflammatory component of the disease (anakinra) and protect against development of hepatorenal syndrome (pentoxifylline), one of the most frequent causes of death in severe acute alcoholic hepatitis, and improve gut mucosal integrity (zinc supplements). The primary outcome will be 6 month mortality rate. Secondary outcomes will be measured at 30, 90 and 180 days.

Individuals who are not participating in the interventional arm of the trial will be receive standard care and be observed for 6 months. They will be enrolled to have baseline and interval health information and laboratory results collected.

Conditions

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Acute Alcoholic Hepatitis

Keywords

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Hepatitis, alcoholic pentoxifylline zinc anakinra glucocorticoids MELD score Intestinal mucosa

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

TRIPLE

Participants Caregivers Investigators

Study Groups

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Anakinra & Pentoxifylline & Zinc Sulfate

anakinra 100mg subcutaneous injection daily for 14 days pentoxifylline 400 mg orally three times daily for 28 day zinc sulfate 220 mg orally for 180 days

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Anakinra

Intervention Type DRUG

Anakinra, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist; 100 mg/0.67 mL solution for subcutaneous injection.

Pentoxifylline

Intervention Type DRUG

Pentoxifylline, generic

Zinc Sulfate

Intervention Type DRUG

Zinc Sulfate, nutritional supplement

Methylprednisolone

methylprednisolone 32 mg orally daily for 28 days

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Methylprednisolone

Intervention Type DRUG

Methylprednisolone, corticosteroid

Observational

Individuals who choose not to participate in the interventional arm of the trial will be receive standard care and be observed for 6 months. They will be enrolled to have baseline and interval health information and laboratory results collected.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Anakinra

Anakinra, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist; 100 mg/0.67 mL solution for subcutaneous injection.

Intervention Type DRUG

Pentoxifylline

Pentoxifylline, generic

Intervention Type DRUG

Zinc Sulfate

Zinc Sulfate, nutritional supplement

Intervention Type DRUG

Methylprednisolone

Methylprednisolone, corticosteroid

Intervention Type DRUG

Other Intervention Names

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Kineret Pentoxifylline, generic Zinc Sulfate, generic Methylprednisolone, generic

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. Ability to provide informed consent by subject or appropriate family member
2. Age between 21-70 years
3. Recent alcohol consumption \> 50 g/d for \> 6 months, continuing within two months before enrollment
4. d. At least 2 of the following symptoms of acute alcoholic hepatitis: Anorexia, nausea, RUQ pain
5. Liver biopsy showing alcoholic hepatitis (steatohepatitis) OR ultrasound of liver showing increased echogenicity OR CT scan showing decreased attenuation of liver compared to spleen OR MRI showing fatty liver (decreased signaling intensity on T1 weighted images) If liver biopsy confirms diagnosis of alcoholic hepatitis then requirement for AST elevation \> 50 is waived. The liver biopsy must be done within 60 days of study enrollment.
6. AST levels:

* AST\> Or equal to 50 IU/mL but less than 500 IU/mL
* AST\> ALT, ratio AST/ALT\> 1.5; ALT \< 200 IU/mL
* or biopsy proven alcoholic hepatitis.
7. Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) ≥ 20 and Maddrey DF ≥ 32.
8. Willingness to utilize two reliable forms of contraception (both males and females of childbearing potential) from screening through the first 6 weeks of the study.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Hypotension with BP \< 80/50 after volume repletion
2. Pregnancy; incarceration; inability to provide consent or lack of appropriate family member
3. Signs of uncontrolled systemic infection: Fever \> 38°C and positive blood or ascites cultures and on appropriate antibiotic therapy for ≥ 3 days within 3 days of inclusion
4. Acute gastrointestinal bleeding requiring \>2 units blood transfusion within the previous 4 days
5. Undue risk from immunosuppression: Positive HBsAg; a positive skin PPD skin test, a positive quantiferon, or history of treatment for tuberculosis; history of any malignancy except skin cancer but including hepatocellular carcinoma within the last five years; HIV infection
6. Recent previous treatment with corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive medications including specific anti-TNF therapy (not including pentoxifylline), calcineurin inhibitors within the previous 3 months. Treatment with corticosteroids for ≤3 days prior to baseline is acceptable.
7. Evidence of acute pancreatitis: CT evidence or amylase or lipase \> 5 X upper limit of normal (ULN).
8. Serious cardiac, respiratory or neurologic disease or evidence of other liver diseases such as autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, Wilson disease, hemochromatosis, secondary iron overload due to chronic hemolysis, alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency
9. Acute or chronic kidney injury with serum creatinine \> 3.0 mg/dl.
Minimum Eligible Age

21 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

70 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

The Cleveland Clinic

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Massachusetts, Worcester

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Louisville

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Mack Mitchell

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Mack Mitchell

Professor of Medicine, Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases

Responsibility Role SPONSOR_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Mack C Mitchell, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Arthur J McCullough, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

The Cleveland Clinic

Craig J McClain, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Louisville

Gyongi Szabo, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Massachusetts, Worcester

Locations

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University of Louisville

Louisville, Kentucky, United States

Site Status

University of Massachusetts Medical School

Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

Site Status

Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland, Ohio, United States

Site Status

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Dallas, Texas, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Hassanein T, McClain CJ, Vatsalya V, Stein LL, Flamm SL, Martin P, Cave MC, Mitchell M Jr, Barton B, Nagy L, Szabo G, McCullough A, Dasarathy S, Shah J, Blevins C, Scott D, Krebs W, Brown JE, Lin W. Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Efficacy Signals of Larsucosterol (DUR-928) in Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis. Am J Gastroenterol. 2024 Jan 1;119(1):107-115. doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000002275. Epub 2023 Apr 3.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 37011138 (View on PubMed)

Szabo G, Mitchell M, McClain CJ, Dasarathy S, Barton B, McCullough AJ, Nagy LE, Kroll-Desrosiers A, Tornai D, Min HA, Radaeva S, Holbein MEB, Casey L, Cuthbert J. IL-1 receptor antagonist plus pentoxifylline and zinc for severe alcohol-associated hepatitis. Hepatology. 2022 Oct;76(4):1058-1068. doi: 10.1002/hep.32478. Epub 2022 Jun 2.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 35340032 (View on PubMed)

Helsley RN, Miyata T, Kadam A, Varadharajan V, Sangwan N, Huang EC, Banerjee R, Brown AL, Fung KK, Massey WJ, Neumann C, Orabi D, Osborn LJ, Schugar RC, McMullen MR, Bellar A, Poulsen KL, Kim A, Pathak V, Mrdjen M, Anderson JT, Willard B, McClain CJ, Mitchell M, McCullough AJ, Radaeva S, Barton B, Szabo G, Dasarathy S, Garcia-Garcia JC, Rotroff DM, Allende DS, Wang Z, Hazen SL, Nagy LE, Brown JM. Gut microbial trimethylamine is elevated in alcohol-associated hepatitis and contributes to ethanol-induced liver injury in mice. Elife. 2022 Jan 27;11:e76554. doi: 10.7554/eLife.76554.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 35084335 (View on PubMed)

Vatsalya V, Cave MC, Kong M, Gobejishvili L, Falkner KC, Craycroft J, Mitchell M, Szabo G, McCullough A, Dasarathy S, Radaeva S, Barton B, McClain CJ. Keratin 18 Is a Diagnostic and Prognostic Factor for Acute Alcoholic Hepatitis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020 Aug;18(9):2046-2054. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2019.11.050. Epub 2019 Dec 4.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 31811953 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

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Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

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Other Identifiers

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U01AA021893-01

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

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U01AA021893-01

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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