Evaluation of a Multi-disciplinary Approach for the Treatment of Hepatitis C in IDUs (HI-LO Study)

November 28, 2016 updated by: University of British Columbia
Although injection drug users (IDUs) account for over 70% of new cases of HCV infection/year, there is no consensus on how to approach their medical care. In some Canadian centres, patients must be free of recreational drug use for as long as 6 months before being considered for HCV therapy. This is not consistent with current North American guidelines. Over the past 5 years, we have developed a successful program for the treatment of HIV infection in this population, based on a multi-disciplinary comprehensive program including directly observed therapy (DOT). Even though the duration of therapy for HCV is shorter than for HIV (as little as 6 months vs. life-long), we must address issues of administration of a weekly injection (interferon), twice daily pills (ribavirin) and the risk of significant side effects (including anxiety and depression) to successfully expand our program to treat this disease. Further, it may be that even if the program is successful, its benefits will be negated by HCV re-infection due to continued risk behaviors for its transmission.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

We will determine the HCV infection status of potential study subjects within a cohort of 2,000 IDUs receiving care in our centres (Appendix 1). For those who carry HCV antibodies (expected n = 1800), a test for HCV viremia and genotype will be performed. By these evaluations, we expect up to 600 individuals to be viremic and carry HCV genotype 2 or 3. Within this group, 200 consecutive patients (100/study strategy) will receive therapy for HCV, based on their eligibility to do so according to Provincial guidelines for the reimbursement of medications. Patient allocation will be according to the study site where they regularly receive care. At two sites, patients will be enrolled in a DOT program with on-site full-time nursing and counseling support (high intensity, 50 patients/site). At the other two sites, patients will receive medication on a weekly basis and will have access to part-time nursing and counseling support (low intensity, 50 patients/site). Medical follow-up will be according to current clinical standards, and the primary endpoint of the study will be the rate of sustained virologic response (SVR) six months after completion of treatment. Within the study described above, we will use standardized methodologies to calculate the total health care costs related to the treatment of HCV infection. We will also assess the effect of treatment on the quality of life (QoL) of study participants.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
370

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • British Columbia
      • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6B 1R3
        • Pender Community Health Centre

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

19 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age > 19 years;
  • Serum HCV-RNA pos;
  • HCV genotype 2 or 3;
  • HBsAg neg;
  • serum ALT > 1.5x upper limit normal > 3 months;
  • Illicit drug use in the past year;
  • Agreement from each participant of childbearing age to practice contraception;
  • Absence of other contraindications to the initiation of therapy as determined by the health care team;
  • Ability to provide informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any cause for chronic liver disease other than HCV (including alcohol use >350 g/wk);
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women;
  • Active HBV infection;
  • Hemolytic anemia;
  • Decompensated cirrhosis or portal hypertension or PT-INR > 1.3 or Child-Hugh class > A;
  • Active suicidal ideation, psychosis, mania or hypomania;
  • Serum creatinine > 180 µg/mL;
  • Hemoglobin < 120 g/L in men or 110 g/L in women;
  • Platelets < 90 x 109/L;
  • Neutrophils < 1.5 x 109/L;
  • Active autoimmune disease;
  • NYHA disease > grade 2;
  • Psoriasis requiring systemic therapy;
  • Active malignancy apart from non melanoma skin cancer;
  • Use of systemic immunosuppressant agents;
  • Prior treatment of HCV with interferon or ribavirin;
  • HIV positive with CD4 count <300 cells/mm3 or receiving didanosine (due to interaction with ribavirin);
  • Life expectancy < 2 years.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: 1
The 4 participating sites are designated either High Intensity or Low Intensity. High Intensity sites have access to: full time specialist physicians, access to full time nurses and counselors. All weekly pegylated interferon injections will be administered by clinic staff and ribavirin will be dispensed in weekly medication pack.
Drug: Interferon injections and ribavirin
Weekly pegylated interferon injections will be administered by clinic staff and ribavirin will be dispensed in weekly medication pack.
Drug: Interferon injections and ribavirin
Patients will be offered the option of self or nurse administered pegylated interferon injections on an appointment basis. Ribavirin will be dispensed biweekly. The treatment medication cannot be stored at the clinic; it must be the subjects responsibility.
Active Comparator: 2
The 4 participating sites are designated either High Intensity or Low Intensity. In the Low intensity group, all patients will have access to: full time primary care physicians, specialist physicians and access to part time nurse or counselor by appointment. Patients will be offered the option of self or nurse administered pegylated interferon injections on an appointment basis. Ribavirin will be dispensed biweekly. The treatment medication cannot be stored at the clinic; it must be the subjects responsibility.
Drug: Interferon injections and ribavirin
Weekly pegylated interferon injections will be administered by clinic staff and ribavirin will be dispensed in weekly medication pack.
Drug: Interferon injections and ribavirin
Patients will be offered the option of self or nurse administered pegylated interferon injections on an appointment basis. Ribavirin will be dispensed biweekly. The treatment medication cannot be stored at the clinic; it must be the subjects responsibility.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Rate of sustained virologic response (SVR) six months after completion of treatment.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Quality of life
Cost
Adherence to therapy

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of British Columbia

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Brian Conway, MD, University of British Columbia

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 1, 2007

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 1, 2010

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 14, 2006

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 14, 2006

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 15, 2006

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 30, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 28, 2016

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • C06-0192

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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