Digoxin In Treatment of Alcohol Associated Hepatitis

NCT ID: NCT05014087

Last Updated: 2025-10-09

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

TERMINATED

Clinical Phase

PHASE2

Total Enrollment

23 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2021-10-08

Study Completion Date

2025-09-12

Brief Summary

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Prospective, single center, open label, randomized controlled trial to explore whether digoxin treatment affects cytokine levels as biomarkers of inflammation in patients with acute alcohol associated hepatitis, digoxin administration and dose adjustment.

The study intervention will be intravenous digoxin (renal-based dosing for maximum of 28 days) versus no digoxin in an open-label 1:1 randomized allocation of patients with severe acute alcohol associated hepatitis.

Detailed Description

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Severe alcohol associated hepatitis is a condition of acute on chronic immune liver dysfunction that is associated with high mortality, necessitating a search for drugs that may prove safe and efficacious in treating this disease. Pre-clinical studies suggest that digoxin, which is currently used for treating cardiac conditions, is also effective in improving alcohol-associated liver injury. To date, there have been no clinical studies of digoxin use in patients with alcohol associated hepatitis.

The primary objective of this randomized control study of digoxin versus no digoxin in patients with severe alcohol associated hepatitis is to explore whether digoxin treatment affects cytokine levels as biomarkers of inflammation in patients hospitalized with severe alcohol associated hepatitis.

Conditions

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Acute Alcoholic Hepatitis Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury Alcohol-Induced Disorders Steatohepatitis Caused by Ingestible Alcohol

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Prospective, single center, open label, randomized 1:1 controlled trial.
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Arm A: Digoxin

In the digoxin arm, the intervention to be administered will be intravenous digoxin dosed by weight and by renal function using an adaption of the established FDA nomogram. Participants randomized to digoxin will receive an intravenous digoxin loading dose administered in 3 doses over 24 hours starting on Day 1. Digoxin levels will be monitored daily throughout the participant's hospital stay, to a maximum of 28 days. Digoxin will be discontinued at the time discharge if before 28 days.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Intravenous digoxin

Intervention Type DRUG

Loading dose: the total loading dose of digoxin will be determined using the Loading nomogram. The FDA-recommended total IV digoxin loading dose range is 8 to 12 mcg/kg. The lowest recommended dose of 8 mcg/kg was used in constructing the digoxin Loading nomogram that will be used in this trial.

Maintenance dose: the maintenance dose will be started approximately 24 hours after initiation of digoxin loading. The post-loading digoxin trough will be reviewed prior to starting maintenance dosing.

Subjects on P-gp inhibitors or spironolactone, will have an additional digoxin level performed 12-hours after any dose adjustment. Once digoxin levels are stable, 24-hour blood draws will be performed.

Arm B: No Digoxin

In the no digoxin arm, no study drug or placebo will be administered.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Intravenous digoxin

Loading dose: the total loading dose of digoxin will be determined using the Loading nomogram. The FDA-recommended total IV digoxin loading dose range is 8 to 12 mcg/kg. The lowest recommended dose of 8 mcg/kg was used in constructing the digoxin Loading nomogram that will be used in this trial.

Maintenance dose: the maintenance dose will be started approximately 24 hours after initiation of digoxin loading. The post-loading digoxin trough will be reviewed prior to starting maintenance dosing.

Subjects on P-gp inhibitors or spironolactone, will have an additional digoxin level performed 12-hours after any dose adjustment. Once digoxin levels are stable, 24-hour blood draws will be performed.

Intervention Type DRUG

Other Intervention Names

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Lanoxin

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1\. Diagnosis of alcohol associated hepatitis based on clinical criteria or histologic evidence

1. Clinical criteria:

* Onset of jaundice (bilirubin \>3 mg/dL) within the prior 8 weeks
* Regular alcohol use \> 6 months, with intake of \> 40 g/day (\>280 g/week) for women; and \> 60 g/day (\>420 g/week) for men
* AST \> 50 IU/l
* AST: ALT \> 1.5 and both values \< 400 IU/l
2. Histological evidence of alcohol associated hepatitis\*

2\. MDF \>32 or MELD ≥ 20 to ≤ 35 on Day 0 of the trial

3\. Age between 21 and 70 years, inclusive

\* In patients with possible alcohol associated hepatitis with confounding factors such as possible ischemic hepatitis, possible DILI, uncertain history of alcohol use, or atypical/abnormal laboratory tests (e.g., AST \< 50 IU/IU/L or \> 400 IU/IU/L, AST/ALT ratio \< 1.5), antinuclearantibody \> 1:160 or SMA \> 1:80, standard of care liver biopsy may be performed as per discretion of the primary attending physician to confirm alcohol associated hepatitis and exclude competing etiologies. The decision to perform liver biopsy will be made by the primary team and will occur regardless of the study. As per current SOC, a liver biopsy may be obtained to confirm suspected alcohol-associated hepatitis and to rule out other potential etiologies of liver disease.

If a liver biopsy is performed for clinically indicated reasons, we will store liver tissue that is left over after the portion needed for the primary indication has been identified.

Exclusion Criteria

1. \- Currently pregnant or breastfeeding
2. \- Inability of patient, legally authorized representative or next-of-kin to provide informed consent
3. \- Allergy or intolerance to digoxin
4. \- Clinically active C. diff infection
5. \- Positive test for COVID-19 within 14 days prior to the screening visit
6. \- Acute hepatitis E, Cytomegalovirus, Epstein Barr Virus, Herpes Simplex Virus

7- History of other liver diseases including hepatitis B (positive HBsAg or HBV DNA), hepatitis 8-C (positive HCV RNA), autoimmune hepatitis, Wilson disease, genetic hemochromatosis, alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency.

8-Diagnosis of Drug Induced Liver Injury (DILI), or other etiologies seen on liver imaging.

9 - History of HIV infection (positive HIV RNA or on treatment for HIV infection)

10 - Current diagnosis of cancer

11- Renal failure defined by GFR \<30 mL/min

12 - Refractory ascites, defined as having more than 4 paracenteses in the preceding 8 weeks despite diuretic therapy

13 - Prior exposure to experimental therapies or other clinical trial in last 3 months

14 - Current acute or chronic pancreatitis

15 - Active gastrointestinal bleeding unless resolved for \>48 hours

16 - Experiencing withdrawal seizures or considered at high risk for alcohol withdrawal seizures or delirium tremens

17 - Heart rate less than 60 bpm at screening visit or at baseline

18 - Current diagnosis of atrial fibrillation

19 - Cardiomyopathy

20 - Heart failure

21 - Severe aortic valve disease

22 - Presence of Accessory arterio-ventricular pathway (eg Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome)

23 - Complete heart block or second degree arterio-ventricular block without pacemaker or implantable cardiac device

24 - Any of the following within the previous 6 months: myocardial infarction, percutaneous intervention, pacemaker/implantable cardiac device implantation, cardiac surgery or stroke

25 - Current use of the following medications:
* Antiarrhythmic (amiodarone, dofetilide, sotalol, dronedarone)
* Parathyroid hormone analog (teriparatide)
* Thyroid supplement (thyroid, levothyroxine sodium)
* Sympathomimetics or ionotropic drugs (epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, dobutamine, milrinone)
* Neuromuscular blocking agents (succinylcholine)
* Calcium supplement
* Ivabradine
* Disulfiram
Minimum Eligible Age

21 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

70 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Yale University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Bubu Banini, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Bubu Banini, MD, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Yale University

Locations

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Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale School of Medicine

New Haven, Connecticut, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Rathore SS, Curtis JP, Wang Y, Bristow MR, Krumholz HM. Association of serum digoxin concentration and outcomes in patients with heart failure. JAMA. 2003 Feb 19;289(7):871-8. doi: 10.1001/jama.289.7.871.

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Dasgupta A. Endogenous and exogenous digoxin-like immunoreactive substances: impact on therapeutic drug monitoring of digoxin. Am J Clin Pathol. 2002 Jul;118(1):132-40. doi: 10.1309/3VNP-TWFQ-HT9A-1QH8.

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Reference Type BACKGROUND

O'Shea RS, Dasarathy S, McCullough AJ; Practice Guideline Committee of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases; Practice Parameters Committee of the American College of Gastroenterology. Alcoholic liver disease. Hepatology. 2010 Jan;51(1):307-28. doi: 10.1002/hep.23258. No abstract available.

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R Core Team. R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing 2020

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Other Identifiers

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2000030659

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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