Intravenous N-acetylcysteine and Oseltamivir Versus Oseltamivir in Adults Hospitalized With Influenza and Pneumonia

November 24, 2023 updated by: Prof David Shu Cheong Hui, Chinese University of Hong Kong

A Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial of Intravenous N-acetylcysteine and Oseltamivir Versus Intravenous 5% Dextrose and Oseltamivir in Adults Hospitalized With Influenza Complicated by Lower Respiratory Tract Infection.

Seasonal influenza epidemics are important causes of morbidity and mortality. Cytokine dysregulation, with high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, occurs in patients with severe influenza. Early therapy with a neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) is associated with better outcome in patients hospitalized with influenza, but significant mortality occurs despite use of antivirals. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a modified form of the amino acid cysteine, with anti-oxidant properties. NAC was shown to inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory molecules in lung epithelial cells infected with influenza viruses. Previous case report showed that high dose NAC, administered as continuous intravenous infusion, was effective and safe in improving the clinical outcomes. We aim to perform a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the therapeutic role of adjunctive NAC in the clinical management of patients with influenza complicated by lower respiratory tract involvement and abnormal respiratory status. Such information when available may reveal the potential of NAC for optimization of management of severe influenza, and provide important insights into future adjunctive therapy research.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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 (Estimated)

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.
160

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 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

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 and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • influenza A and B virus infections confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and/or immunofluorescence assays,
  • hospitalized for the management of severe manifestations of influenza,
  • initiation of oseltamivir,
  • clinical evidence of lower respiratory tract infection (e.g. shortness of breath, tachypnea, oxygen desaturation <93% on room air, crepitations on auscultation, infiltrations or consolidations on chest radiograph)
  • written informed consent (by the subjects, or from their next of kin if the subjects are unable to provide written consent at the time of enrollment)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • use of immunosuppressants (e.g. post-chemotherapy, post-transplant, autoimmune diseases) other than systemic corticosteroids
  • known immuno-compromised conditions (e.g. active haematological malignancies, HIV/AIDS patients who are on antiretroviral therapy and CD4 cell count < 200),
  • pregnancy
  • lactation,
  • end-stage renal failure
  • hepatic failure
  • cardiac failure
  • patients on anticoagulation (except prophylactic dose of low molecular weight heparin),
  • patients with scheduled major surgery within 2 weeks (NAC may affect blood clotting),
  • patients who have received macrolide antibiotics and NSAID for 1 week prior to enrolment due to their immuno-modulating effects.
  • Use of investigational anti-influenza antivirals and blood products

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: Triple

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: intravenous N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and oseltamivir
Drug: N-acetyl cysteine
N-acetyl cysteine will be administered at 100 mg/kg daily as a continuous IV infusion (in 1000ml of 5% dextrose) over 24 hrs and oseltamivir 75 mg bid orally for 5 days. Extension of dosing to 10 days for oseltamivir and the study drug is allowed if there is slow recovery, lack of improvement, or deterioration.
Placebo Comparator: intravenous 5% dextrose and oseltamivir
Drug: 5% Dextrose
5% dextrose 1 liter given over 24 hrs and oral oseltamivir 75 mg bid for 5 days. Extension of dosing to 10 days for oseltamivir and the study drug is allowed if there is slow recovery, lack of improvement, or deterioration.

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
Normalization of respiratory status in day
Time Frame: 28 days
oxygen saturation more than 93% or respiratory rate lower than 20/min on room air
28 days

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
viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) in copies per milliliter
Time Frame: 28 days
All serially collected samples will be subjected to viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) quantification using quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRTPCR) targeting the matrix (M)-gene ('viral load')
28 days
Interleukin 6 in pg/ml
Time Frame: 10 days
10 days
interleukin-8 in pg/ml
Time Frame: 10 days
10 days
interleukin 17 in pg/ml
Time Frame: 10 days
10 days
Chemokine ligand 9 (CxCL9/MIG) in pg/ml
Time Frame: 10 days
10 days
Soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor-1 (sTNFR-1) in pg/ml
Time Frame: 10 days
10 days
interleukin 18 in pg/ml
Time Frame: 10 days
10 days
CRP in mg/L
Time Frame: 10 days
10 days
phospho-p38 and phospho-ERK (activated MAPKs) in mean fluorescence intensity(MFI)
Time Frame: 10 days
10 days
phospho-inhibitor kB/IkB (NF-kB) in mean fluorescence intensity(MFI)
Time Frame: 10 days
10 days
resolution of symptoms in days
Time Frame: 28 days
A standard questionnaire will be used to collect baseline and serial clinical data. These include clinical manifestations/complications, symptom severity score, vital signs (e.g. temperature, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation), fever duration, requirements for supplemental oxygen therapy and invasive/non-invasive ventilation, duration of hospitalization, death, and occurrence of adverse events.
28 days
ICU admission in days
Time Frame: 28 days
28 days
mortality in days
Time Frame: 28 days
28 days
Incidence of Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events in numbers
Time Frame: 28 days
28 days
a six step ordinal scale of clinical status
Time Frame: 7 days
death, in ICU, ongoing hospitalisation on oxygen, hospital stay not on oxygen, discharged but not returned to normal activities, or discharged and returned to normal activities
7 days

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.
Chinese University of Hong Kong

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: David SC Hui, MD, Chinese University of Hong Kong

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.
May 8, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
October 31, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

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 31, 2025

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).
March 31, 2019

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.
April 1, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

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.
April 3, 2019

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.
November 27, 2023

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 24, 2023

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, 2023

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.
  • NAC Influenza/Hui/2019

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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