Nitazoxanide Plus Lactulose Versus Lactulose Alone Treatment of Hepatic Encephalopathy

August 16, 2017 updated by: Sherief Abd-Elsalam

A Randomized, Double-blind, Controlled Trial Comparing Nitazoxanide Plus Lactulose With Lactulose Alone Treatment of Overt Hepatic Encephalopathy

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a reversible neuropsychiatric syndrome associated with chronic and acute liver dysfunction. It is characterized by cognitive and motor deficits of varying severity.

Treatment options include lactulose administered orally or by nasogastric tube or enema, non-absorbable antibiotics, and protein-restricted diets.

Nitazoxanide is an oral agent indicated for the treatment of infectious diarrhea caused by Crytpsporidiumparvum and Giardia lamblia. Basu and colleagues presented a pilot prospective study at the 2008 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases meeting showing clinical improvement in HE among cirrhotic patients who received nitazoxanide and lactulose.

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.

Detailed Description

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a reversible neuropsychiatric syndrome associated with chronic and acute liver dysfunction. It is characterized by cognitive and motor deficits of varying severity.

Hepatic encephalopathy is caused by accumulation of nitrogenous substances, primarily ammonia, in the blood. In advanced stages it is referred to as hepatic coma which may be preceded by seizures. The treatment goal is to reduce nitrogen load from the GI tract and to improve central nervous system (CNS) status.

Treatment options include lactulose administered orally or by nasogastric tube or enema, non-absorbable antibiotics, and protein-restricted diets.

Lactulose is nonabsorbable disaccharides that are currently used as first line agents for the treatment of HE. Its action is thought to beconversion to lactic acid and acetic acid resulting in acidification of the gut lumen. This favors conversion of ammonia (NH3) to ammonium (NH4+), which is relatively membrane impermeable, and inhibits ammoniagenic coliform bacteria.

Nitazoxanide is an oral agent indicated for the treatment of infectious diarrhea caused by Crytpsporidiumparvum and Giardia lamblia. Basu and colleagues presented a pilot prospective study at the 2008 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases meeting showing clinical improvement in HE among cirrhotic patients who received nitazoxanide and lactulose.

Mantry and colleagues showed that the number of hospitalizations and the duration of hospital stays were shortened for patients receiving combination therapy compared with those receiving lactulose monotherapy.

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.
120

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 2
  • 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 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 Locations

  • Egypt
    • Elgharbia
      • Tanta, Elgharbia, Egypt
        • Recruiting
        • Tanta university - faculty of medicine
        • Contact:

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

14 years to 66 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Age 18-70 years

Cirrhosis, defined by a combination of any of the following:

  • Laboratory findings
  • Endoscopic results
  • Ultrasound
  • Histology Overt hepatic encephalopathy

Exclusion Criteria:

  • • Creatinine>1.5 mg/dl

    • Alcohol use within prior 4 weeks
    • Non-hepatic metabolic encephalopathy
    • Hepatocellular carcinoma
    • Degenerative CNS disease
    • Any significant psychiatric illness or other medical comorbidity

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: lactulose plus nitazoxanide
  • Nitazoxanide dosing: 500 mg tablets twice daily
  • Lactulose dosing: 30-60 mL PO TID with goal 2-3 semisoft stools per day
Drug: Nitazoxanide
• Nitazoxanide dosing: 500 mg tablets twice daily
Other Names:
  • Alenia, Nitclean, Parazoxanide
Drug: Lactulose
• Lactulose dosing: 30-60 mL PO TID with goal 2-3 semisoft stools per day
Other Names:
  • Laxolac, Duphlac
Active Comparator: Lactulose alone
Lactulose dosing: 30-60 mL PO TID with goal 2-3 semisoft stools per day
Drug: Lactulose
• Lactulose dosing: 30-60 mL PO TID with goal 2-3 semisoft stools per day
Other Names:
  • Laxolac, Duphlac

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
Number of patients with total reversal of hepatic encephalopathy
Time Frame: 6 months
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.
Sherief Abd-Elsalam

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.
Tanta University

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: Asem Elfert, Prof, hepatology dept-Tanta
  • Study Director: Sherief Abd-Elsalam, lecturer, hepatology dept-Tanta
  • Study Chair: Samah Soliman, lecturer, hepatology dept-Tanta
  • Study Chair: Rehab elsheshtawi, lecturer, hepatology dept-Tanta
  • Study Chair: Mennat-Allah Elsawaf, lecturer, hepatology dept-Tanta

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.
January 1, 2016

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, 2017

Study Completion (Anticipated)

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, 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).
June 3, 2015

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.
June 3, 2015

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.
June 8, 2015

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.
August 21, 2017

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.
August 16, 2017

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.
August 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • Hepatic encephalopathy

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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