Anakinra for the Prevention of Cytokine Release Syndrome and Neurotoxicity in Patients With B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Receiving CD19-Targeted CAR-T Cell Therapy

October 8, 2025 updated by: Jordan Gauthier, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Phase 2 Pilot Study to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of Anakinra to Prevent CD19-Targeted CAR-T Cell-Related Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) and Neurotoxicity in Patients With B Cell Lymphoma

This phase II trial studies how well anakinra works in decreasing the occurrence of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and damage to the nerves (neurotoxicity) in patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma who are receiving CD-19 targeted chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy. CAR-T cell therapy may be complicated by two potentially life-threatening side effects: CRS and neurotoxicity. Anakinra is a drug typically used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, but may also help in preventing CAR-T cell-related cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity.

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

OUTLINE:

Patients receive anakinra intravenously (IV) [previously subcutaneously (SC) for some patients] over 10-30 minutes daily on days 0-13 and lisocabtagene maraleucel via infusion on day 0. Patients should also undergo at screening an x-ray, positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) or CT, bone marrow aspirate (BMA) and biopsy (if clinically indicated), and lumbar puncture (if clinically indicated), and at follow-up as clinically indicated. Patients also undergo blood sample collection on study.

After completion of lisocabtagene maraleucel infusion, patients are followed up periodically for up to 90 days.

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.
27

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

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

  • United States
    • Washington
      • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98109
        • Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium

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:

  • Subjects must be 18 years of age or older
  • Karnofsky performance status of >= 60%
  • Patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) and eligible for treatment with liso-cel. Patients treated with non-conforming (out-of-specification) liso-cell may remain on study.
  • Negative serum pregnancy test within 2 weeks of enrollment for women of childbearing potential, defined as those who have not been surgically sterilized or who have not been free of menses for at least 1 year
  • Fertile male and female subjects must be willing to use an effective contraceptive method before, during, and for at least 4 months after the last dose of anakinra
  • Ability to understand and provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects requiring ongoing daily corticosteroid therapy at a dose of > 15 mg of prednisone per day (or equivalent). Pulsed corticosteroid use for disease control is acceptable
  • Active autoimmune disease requiring immunosuppressive therapy is excluded unless discussed with the principal investigator (PI)
  • Known hypersensitivity to Escherichia € coli-derived proteins, anakinra, or to any component of the product

  • Major organ dysfunction defined as:

    • Serum creatinine > 2.5 mg/dL
    • Significant hepatic dysfunction (Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) > 5x upper limit of normal; bilirubin > 3.0 mg/dL) unless due to malignancy or Gilbert's syndrome in the opinion of the PI or designee
    • Subjects with clinically significant pulmonary dysfunction, as determined by medical history and physical exam should undergo pulmonary function testing. Those with a forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) of < 50% of predicted or diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) (corrected) < 40% will be excluded
    • Significant cardiovascular abnormalities as defined by any one of the following: New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III or IV congestive heart failure, clinically significant hypotension, uncontrolled symptomatic coronary artery disease, or a documented ejection fraction of < 35%
  • Uncontrolled serious and active infection

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group 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: Prevention (anakinra, lisocabtagene maraleucel)
Patients receive anakinra IV (previously SC) over 10-30 minutes daily on days 0-13 and lisocabtagene maraleucel via infusion on day 0. Patients should also undergo at screening an x-ray, PET/CT or CT, BMA and biopsy (as clinically indicated), and lumbar puncture (as clinically indicated), and at follow-up as clinically indicated. Patients also undergo blood sample collection on study.
Procedure: Lumbar Puncture
Undergo lumbar puncture
Other Names:
  • LP
  • spinal tap
Procedure: Biospecimen Collection
Undergo blood sample collection
Other Names:
  • Biological Sample Collection
Procedure: Positron Emission Tomography
Undergo PET/CT
Other Names:
  • PET scan
  • Medical Imaging
Procedure: X-Ray Imaging
Undergo x-ray
Other Names:
  • Conventional X-Ray
  • Diagnostic Radiology
  • Radiographic Imaging
  • Medical Imaging
Procedure: Bone Marrow Biopsy
Undergo bone marrow biopsy
Procedure: Computed Tomography
Undergo PET/CT or CT
Other Names:
  • CAT Scan
  • Computed Axial Tomography
  • CT scan
Procedure: Bone Marrow Aspiration
Undergo BMA
Biological: Anakinra
Given IV (previously SC)
Other Names:
  • Kinaret
  • Kineret
  • rIL-1ra
  • rIL1RN
  • 143090-92-0

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
Absence of Any Grade Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS)
Time Frame: Up to 28 days after lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) infusion
Will assess the efficacy of anakinra in preventing the occurrence of any grade CRS using the Bayesian optimal phase 2 design. Assessed based on the ASTCT Consensus Grading for CRS and Neurotoxicity Associated with Immune Effector Cell.
Up to 28 days after lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) infusion

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
CRS Grade
Time Frame: Up to 28 days after liso-cel infusion
CRS severity was graded per American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) consensus criteria (Lee et al, Biol Blood Marrow Transplant, 2019) based on the presence and severity of fever, hypotension, and hypoxia: grade 1, fever ≥38°C without hypotension or hypoxia; grade 2, hypotension not requiring vasopressors and/or hypoxia requiring low-flow oxygen; grade 3, hypotension requiring a single vasopressor or hypoxia requiring high-flow oxygen; grade 4, life-threatening hypotension requiring multiple vasopressors and/or hypoxia requiring positive-pressure ventilation; grade 5, death.
Up to 28 days after liso-cel infusion
ICANS Grade
Time Frame: Up to 28 days after liso-cel infusion
ICANS severity was graded per American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) consensus criteria (Lee et al, Biol Blood Marrow Transplant, 2019): grade 1, immune effector cell-associated encephalopathy (ICE, overall score range 0-10, higher score = better condition) score 7-9, awakens spontaneously; grade 2, ICE score 3-6, awakens to voice; grade 3, ICE score 0-2, awakens only to tactile stimulus, any clinical seizure that resolves rapidly or non-convulsive seizures on EEG that resolve with intervention, focal/local oedema on neuroimaging; grade 4, ICE 0, unarousable and unable to perform ICE, unarousable or requires vigorous or repetitive tactile stimuli to arouse, stupor or coma, life-threatening prolonged seizure (>5 min); or repetitive clinical or electrical seizures without return to baseline in between, deep focal motor weakness such as hemiparesis or paraparesis, diffuse cerebral oedema on neuroimaging, decerebrate or decorticate posturing, or cranial nerve VI
Up to 28 days after liso-cel infusion
Rate of Hospitalization After Liso-cel Treatment
Time Frame: Up to 28 days after liso-cel infusion
Number of patients hospitalized after liso-cel treatment.
Up to 28 days after liso-cel infusion
Duration of Hospitalization After Liso-cel Treatment
Time Frame: Up to 28 days after liso-cel infusion
Duration of hospitalization measured in days following liso-cel administration.
Up to 28 days after liso-cel infusion
Corticosteroid Usage After Liso-cel Treatment
Time Frame: Up to 28 days after liso-cel infusion
Number of patients who received corticosteroids within 28 days after liso-cel infusion.
Up to 28 days after liso-cel infusion
Disease Response to Liso-cel
Time Frame: Approximately 90 days after liso-cel infusion
Best response within approximately 90 days post liso-cel infusion will be assessed based on institutional standard using physical examination, imaging (CT or PET-CT), and if necessary, bone marrow biopsies, in patients with measurable disease prior to treatment.
Approximately 90 days after liso-cel infusion
Adverse Events (AEs)
Time Frame: Up to 28 days after liso-cel infusion
Grade 3 or greater AEs, graded according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0.
Up to 28 days after liso-cel infusion

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.
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

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.
Swedish Orphan Biovitrum

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: Jordan Gauthier, Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium

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.
December 27, 2021

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.
October 1, 2024

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 23, 2024

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).
April 15, 2020

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 22, 2020

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 24, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

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.
October 23, 2025

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.
October 8, 2025

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.
October 1, 2025

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.
  • RG1006866
  • NCI-2020-01861 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))
  • 10373 (Other Identifier: Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium)

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

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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