Doxycycline Boosted Therapy in Lyme Borreliosis: DoBo Study.

NCT ID: NCT07230028

Last Updated: 2025-11-17

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: PHASE4
• Total Enrollment: 50 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2026-03-01
• Study Completion Date: 2027-11-01

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if hydroxychloroquine works to treat long-term complaints attributed to Lyme borreliosis in adults. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does addition of hydroxychloroquine reduce physical complaints? Researchers will compare hydroxychloroquine to a placebo (a look-alike substance that contains no drug) to see if hydroxychloroquine works to treat Lyme borreliosis.

Participants will:

Take hydroxychloroquine or a placebo two times a day during 28 days. Visit the clinic 4 times in one year for checkups and tests.

Detailed Description

Rationale Assess other strategies for Lyme patients with vexing symptoms.

Objective Provide initial insights as to whether addition of hydroxychloroquine results in reduction of physical complaints and assessing safety and tolerability of hydroxychloroquine in these patients.

Main trial endpoints The primary endpoint is health-related quality of life, as measured by the global score of the 36-item Short-form General Health Survey (SF-36) at EOT (week 4).

Secondary trial endpoints Secondary endpoints are improvement on subscales of SF-36 (pain and physical function) at week 4, safety at week 4 and 12 and global physical health composite score of the 36-item Short-form General Health Survey (SF-36) at week 52. Of note, there are no biochemical or microbiological test available to assess cure.

Trial design This is a monocentre, randomized, double blind pilot study. Treatment last one month, with a follow up at week 52. In total the subject are participating for one year.

Trial population Patients with possible persisting B. burgdorferi s.l. infection or probable or possible post Lyme treatment Lyme borreliosis syndrome (PTLBS) will be recruited. Patients who will start antibiotic treatment can be included.

Interventions The intervention group will be treated with 28 days Doxycycline 2 x 100 mg (standard of care) combined with hydroxychloroquine 2 x 200 mg (two time a day one tablet). The control arm receives 28 days Doxycycline 2 x 100 mg (standard of care) combined with placebo 2 x 1 tablet.

Ethical considerations relating to the clinical trial including the expected benefit to the individual subject or group of patients represented by the trial subjects as well as the nature and extent of burden and risks The combination of doxycycline en hydroxychloroquine is based on expected synergy and probably enhancement of effective therapy. Its combination has been used for years in malaria and Q-fever. Its pro- and con's are well known.

The use of doxycycline and hydroxychloroquine is not associated with increased health risk.

Conditions

Lyme Borreliosis, Nervous System

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: QUADRUPLE

Study Groups

Doxycycline in combination with Hydroxychloroquine

Doxycycline (standard of care) in combination with Hydroxychloroquine 2 x 200 mg (two times a day one tablet).

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Hydroxychloroquin

Intervention Type: DRUG

Added to the standard of care for Lyme Disease

Doxycycline

Intervention Type: DRUG

Standard of care

Doxycycline in combination with placebo

Doxycycline (standard of care) in combination with Placebo (two times a day one tablet).

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo

Intervention Type: DRUG

Standard of care in combination with placebo

Doxycycline

Intervention Type: DRUG

Standard of care

Interventions

Hydroxychloroquin

Added to the standard of care for Lyme Disease

Intervention Type: DRUG

Placebo

Standard of care in combination with placebo

Intervention Type: DRUG

Doxycycline

Standard of care

Intervention Type: DRUG

Other Intervention Names

Plaquenil

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Patients who are 18 years of age or older
• Patients with probable or possible signs and symptoms attributed to Lyme borreliosis
• Patients with probable or possible post Lyme treatment Lyme borreliosis syndrome (PTLBS)
• Males or non-pregnant females (who must agree to use barrier methods of contraception during the study therapy period, women of childbearing age must have a negative urine pregnancy or serum test at baseline).

Exclusion Criteria

• Known contra-indication for used study medication.
• Women who are pregnant or lactating

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Radboud University Medical Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Hadewych Ter Hofstede, Dr.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Radboud University Medical Center

Central Contacts

Hadewych ter Hofstede, Dr.

Role: CONTACT

hadewych.terhofstede@radboudumc.nl

+3124361819

Other Identifiers

DoBo

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

2025-523078-18-00

Identifier Type: CTIS

Identifier Source: secondary_id