Pegasys Plus Entecavir Versus Entecavir Versus Pegasys for Hepatitis B e Antigen-Negative Chronic Hepatitis B

December 3, 2014 updated by: National Taiwan University Hospital

Currently, there are several antiviral treatments effective for suppression of viral replication but still failed to cure HBV infection in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Seven drugs have been worldwide approved for the treatment of CHB at present: conventional IFN (IFN) alfa, lamivudine (LAM), adefovir dipivoxil (ADV), pegylated IFN (Peg-IFN) alfa, entecavir (ETV), telbivudine (LdT) and tenofovir (TDF). Conventional or Peg-IFN alfa monotherapy has a narrow range of efficacy, is associated with several adverse effects and is inconvenient because of frequent injections. Oral nucleot(s)ide analogues (NA) are better tolerated; but virologic response to NA is frequently not durable and prolonged treatment is associated with the emergence of drug-resistant HBV mutants.

Although the best treatment choice for CHB is not clarified yet, certain therapeutic concepts could be derived from the experience of treating patients with chronic hepatitis C or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. A major advancement in treating hepatitis C or HIV infection has been the development of combination therapy. Combination therapy has ever been investigated in patients with CHB, but again the optimal strategy remains to be identified. Entecavir, a carbocyclic deoxyguanosine NA, is one of the most potent anti-HBV agents ever discovered. In addition, the 6-year drug resistance rate is 1.2% in selected lamivudine-naïve cohorts. Pegylated interferon alfa-2a possesses both antiviral and immunomodulatory effects. Overall, satisfactory virologic and serologic responses could be achieved using pegylated IFN alfa in around 30-44% of these patients. Whether the combination therapy using Peg-IFN alfa-2a plus ETV can achieve a long-term beneficial effect against ETV or Peg-IFN alfa-2a alone is not clarified. A prior single-arm pilot study suggested that similar combination therapy may be beneficial in patients with CHB. In this proposal, the investigators thus hypothesize that the efficacy by using combination therapy with Peg-IFN alfa-2a plus prolonged ETV is superior to that by using ETV or Peg-IFN alfa-2a alone in that Peg-IFN may restore host immunity against HBV and prolonged ETV can maximize viral suppression.

The objective of this clinical trial is to evaluate the efficacy of the combination of Peg-IFN alfa-2a at a dose of 180 mcg administered subcutaneously per week and ETV 0.5 mg daily for 48 weeks followed by ETV 0.5 mg daily monotherapy for an additional 96 weeks versus ETV 0.5 mg daily monotherapy for 144 weeks or Peg-IFN alfa-2a 180 mcg per week for 48 weeks in patients with HBeAg-negative CHB. It will be an open-label, randomized, comparative, multi-center clinical trial. The recruited patients will be equally randomized into three treatment groups. Treatment-free follow-up period will be 48 weeks in both groups of patients. The primary parameter is the "Simultaneous achievement of HBsAg titer below 100 IU/ml and HBV DNA below 300 IU/ml at 144 weeks after start of treatment", by an intention-to-treat analysis. Genotypic and virologic resistance to ETV will also be assessed at baseline and at end of years 1, 2 and 3.

The investigators anticipate that the rate of HBsAg <100 IU/mL plus HBV DNA <300 IU/mL at 3 years of the study period will be 30% for patients receiving Peg-IFN therapy and increased to be 45% for patients receiving Peg-IFN plus entecavir therapy. With a 5% nominal significance level (two-sided), 163 patients per group under a 1:1:1 ratio will provide 80% power to detect a difference of 15% in treatment response rates between group I and III. Because this will be a 4-year study for each patient, the investigators thus anticipate that the dropout rate may be as high as 10%. Accordingly, a total of 540 (180x3) patients will be recruited, in order to account for a dropout rate of up to10%.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

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 (Anticipated)

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.
540

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.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Chun-Jer Liu, M.D., Ph.D.
  • Phone Number: 67503 886-2-23123456
  • Email: cjliu@ntu.edu.tw

Study Locations

  • Taiwan
      • Taipei, Taiwan
        • Recruiting
        • National Taiwan University Hospital Department of Internal medicine
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Pei-Jer Chen

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

20 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Adult male or female, 20 to 70 years of age Patient must have documented positive serum HBsAg for a minimum of 6 months prior to entry into study. Patients must show evidence of HBV replication and hepatitis documented by

    • Positive serum HBV DNA within 3 months prior to entry (HBV DNA >10,000 copies/mL or 2000 IU/mL).
    • Negative serum HBeAg within 3 months prior to entry.
    • Documented presence of abnormal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) twice within 6 months prior to entry, at least 3 months apart (2 to 10 folds above the upper normal level).
    • Naïve to interferon, lamivudine, and telbivudine; but patients ever receiving adefovir, tenofovir or entecavir could be enrolled, only if they have been discontinued for more than 3 months.

  2. Compensated liver disease with the following minimum hematological and serum biochemical criteria:

    • Hemoglobin values of 12 gm/dL for both genders
    • WBC 3,000/mm3
    • Neutrophil count 1,500/ mm3
    • Platelets 100,000/ mm3
    • PT prolong 3 sec, INR 1.2
    • Total bilirubin 2 mg/dL
    • Albumin > 3.5 g/dL
    • Uric acid within normal ranges
    • Serum creatinine 123.76 mmol/L ( 1.4 mg/dL)
    • Hemoglobin A1C 8.5% for diabetic patients (whether on medication and/or controlled with diet)
  3. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), within normal ranges (subjects requiring medication to maintain TSH levels in the normal range are eligible if all other.inclusion/exclusion criteria are met)
  4. Negative serum antibody to hepatitis C (anti-HCV) and hepatitis D (anti-HDV)
  5. Negative antibody to human immunodeficiency virus (anti-HIV)
  6. Alfa-fetoprotein within normal range (obtained within the previous year, or if elevated and <100 ng/ml, then a negative ultrasound for hepatocellular carcinoma within prior 3 months is required.)
  7. Subject must be willing to give written informed consent and be able to adhere to dose and visit schedules *Patients with well compensated liver cirrhosis (Child-Pugh A), in the absence of splenomegaly (by abdominal ultrasonography) and varices (if patients ever received upper GI endoscope),could be enrolled.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Women who are pregnant or nursing.
  2. Prior treatment for hepatitis with any interferon, lamivudine, telbivudine, or other investigational agents.
  3. Prior treatment for hepatitis with immunomodulatory drug within previous 2 years.
  4. Suspected hypersensitivity to interferon.
  5. Have evidence of cirrhosis with the presence of splenomegaly or varices, or evidence of decompensated cirrhosis.
  6. History of severe psychiatric disease, especially depression.
  7. Concurrent malignancies (including hepatocellular carcinoma).
  8. Unstable or significant cardiovascular diseases (e.g., angina, congestive heart failure,recent myocardial infarction, severe hypertension or significant arrhythmia; subjects with ECG showing clinically significant abnormalities).
  9. Prolonged exposure to known hepatotoxins such as alcohol or drugs
  10. History of thyroid disease poorly controlled on prescribed medication
  11. Poorly controlled diabetes mellitus
  12. Have suspected or confirmed significant hepatic disease from an etiology other than HBV (e.g., alcohol, autoimmune disease etc.)
  13. Patients co-infected with hepatitis C, hepatitis D and /or HIV
  14. Severe renal disease or myeloid dysfunction
  15. History of organ transplantation other than cornea and hair transplant
  16. Any medical condition requiring, or likely to require during the course of the study,chronic systemic administration of steroids
  17. Any other condition which in the opinion of the investigator would make the subject unsuitable for enrollment, or could interfere with the subject participating in and completing the protocol.

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: 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.
Experimental: Arm 1
180 mcg Peg-IFN alfa-2a (Pegasys) once a week for 48 weeks. Entecavir daily will also be administered concurrently for 48 weeks and then given as monotherapy for an additional 96 weeks
Drug: Pegasys&Entecavir
180 mcg Peg-IFN alfa-2a (Pegasys) once a week for 48 weeks. Entecavir daily will also be administered concurrently for 48 weeks and then given as monotherapy for an additional 96 weeks.
Other Names:
  • No other names
Active Comparator: Arm 2
Entecavir daily for 144 weeks.
Drug: Pegasys&Entecavir
180 mcg Peg-IFN alfa-2a (Pegasys) once a week for 48 weeks. Entecavir daily will also be administered concurrently for 48 weeks and then given as monotherapy for an additional 96 weeks.
Other Names:
  • No other names
Active Comparator: Arm 3
180 mcg Peg-IFN alfa-2a once a week for 48 weeks
Drug: Pegasys&Entecavir
180 mcg Peg-IFN alfa-2a (Pegasys) once a week for 48 weeks. Entecavir daily will also be administered concurrently for 48 weeks and then given as monotherapy for an additional 96 weeks.
Other Names:
  • No other names

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
Time Frame
Simultaneous achievement of HBsAg below 100 IU/mL and HBV DNA<300 IU/mL
Time Frame: at 144 weeks after start of treatment
at 144 weeks after start 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
Time Frame
serum HBV DNA <2000 IU/mL,HBsAg <1000 IU/mL,ALT normalization,HBsAg loss,entecavir resistance, HBsAg seroconversion,Fibrosis stages
Time Frame: At 144 weeks after the start of treatment
At 144 weeks after the start of treatment

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.
National Taiwan University Hospital

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.
Roche Pharma AG

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: Pei-Jer Chen, M.D., Ph.D., National Taiwan University Hospital Department of Internal medicine

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.
January 1, 2013

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

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.
December 1, 2018

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).
August 16, 2013

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.
August 19, 2013

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.
August 20, 2013

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.
December 4, 2014

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.
December 3, 2014

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.
December 1, 2014

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.
  • 201205003MPC

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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