Rifaximin vs Placebo for the Prevention of Encephalopathy in Patients Treated by TIPS (PRPET)

April 29, 2026 updated by: University Hospital, Toulouse

Double Blind Randomized Study, Comparing Rifaximin vs Placebo for the Prevention of Encephalopathy in Patients Treated by TIPS

TIPS has been used for 20 years, as a means of reducing portal pressure in patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension related complications. TIPS proved more effective than alternative treatments in controlling or preventing variceal bleeding and refractory ascites. The main drawback of the TIPS procedure is progressive overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE). Three risk factors for post-TIPS OHE have been identified: age over 65 years, history of previous episodes of OHE, and Child-Pugh score equal to or over 10. However, the incidence of post-TIPS OHE in patients fulfilling these criteria remains close to 35 %.

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

TIPS has been used for 20 years, as a means of reducing portal pressure in patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension related complications. TIPS proved more effective than alternative treatments in controlling or preventing variceal bleeding and refractory ascites. The main drawback of the TIPS procedure is progressive overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE). Three risk factors for post-TIPS OHE have been identified: age over 65 years, history of previous episodes of OHE, and Child-Pugh score equal to or over 10. However, the incidence of post-TIPS OHE in patients fulfilling these criteria remains close to 35 %. Furthermore, the pathogenesis of HE in general but also in patients treated by TIPS is still not well understood. Therefore, there is a real challenge in discovering new molecular mechanisms involved in pathogenesis of OHE as well as new treatment to better prevent the risk of OHE in patients treated by TIPS. Observational and experimental studies suggest a microbiota's role in the mechanism of OHE and recently a non absorbable antibiotic has proven to reduce the risk of recurrence of OHE. However, the effect of this drug for the prevention of a first episode of OHE in patients treated by TIPS is not known. In addition, the mechanisms of the beneficial effect of rifaximin remain poorly understood.

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.
211

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 3

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

  • France
      • Angers, France
        • CHU Angers
      • Bondy, France
        • Hôpital Jean Verdier
      • Bordeaux, France
        • CHU Bordeaux
      • Lille, France
        • CHRU LILLE
      • Marseille, France
        • CHU Marseille
      • Nantes, France
        • CHU Nantes
      • Paris, France
        • CHU Saint-Antoine
      • Paris, France
        • CHU Beaujon Clichy
      • Paris, France
        • Pitié Salpêtrière
      • Poitiers, France
        • CHU Poitiers
      • Rennes, France
        • CHU Rennes
      • Tours, France
        • CHU Tours
    • France
      • Toulouse, France, France, 31059
        • UHToulouse

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

18 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • cirrhosis with TIPS for ascit treatment or hydrothorax
  • prevention digestive bleeding follow up portal hypertension -
  • signed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • hepatocellular carcinoma out of Milan criteria or palliative phase cancer
  • Child Pugh score > 12
  • TIPS indicated for other indication than bellow
  • encephalopathy signs : asterixis or confusion
  • Hypersensibility to rifaximin, or derivated of rifamycin
  • Patients treated by same class antibacterial
  • pregnant woman
  • Patient with hepatic transplant

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: Double

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: rifaximin
6 rifaximin caps of 200 mg per day morning and night, during 15 days before TIPS, and after TIPS during 6 months.
Drug: Rifaximin

6 rifaximin caps of 200 mg morning and night, 15 days before and 6 months after TIPS

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Other Names:
  • NORMIX
Placebo Comparator: placebo
6 caps placebo morning and night, 15 days before and 6 months after TIPS
Drug: placebo
6 placebo caps per day morning and night, during 15 days before TIPS and 6 months after TIPS

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
Measure Description
Time Frame
First episode of overt encephalopathy in patients treated by TIPS
Time Frame: 6 months
First episode of overt encephalopathy in patients treated by TIPS
6 months

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
Measure Description
Time Frame
number of hospitalisation days
Time Frame: 6 months
Number and days of hospitalisations for encephalopathy
6 months
Frequency of kidney insufficiency
Time Frame: 6 months
number of digestive bleeding follow up to portal hypertension, number of ascit punctions, frequency kidney insufficiency and hepatocellular carcinoma
6 months
transplants, deaths
Time Frame: 6 months
- number of transplants and deaths
6 months
intestinal microbiota
Time Frame: 6 months
Composition of intestinal microbiota in 30 patients (only UHToulouse)
6 months

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 Hospital, Toulouse

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: Christophe Bureau, MD PhD, University Hospital, Toulouse

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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 (Actual)

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.
September 1, 2013

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.
July 1, 2017

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.
July 1, 2017

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).
December 13, 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.
December 18, 2013

First Posted (Estimated)

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.
December 19, 2013

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

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.
May 6, 2026

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.
April 29, 2026

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.
April 1, 2026

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.
  • RC31/12/0551

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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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