Study of Oral Idebenone to Treat Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

April 7, 2026 updated by: Natalie Torok, Stanford University

A Pilot Study to Treat Adults With Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis With Oral Idebenone

This is a randomized, placebo-controlled phase 1/2a study to investigate the safety and tolerability of Idebenone in patients 18 years of age or older with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, with stage 1-3 fibrosis. As secondary end point target engagement and fibrosis improvement will be assessed.

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

This is a prospective phase 1/2a, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, single center study of safety and efficacy of oral idebenone in adults 18 years of age or older with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Following IRB approval and written informed consent, 45 participants will be enrolled in the study and randomized in a 1:2 ratio on REDCap data capturing software. Participants will be randomized to two groups and receive the following tablets: placebo, idebenone at escalating doses of 200mg by mouth (P.O.) once a day for 2 weeks, then 200 mg twice a day for 2 weeks, then 3 times per day for the remainder of the study (up to 48 weeks). Monitoring and safety evaluation will continue for 12 weeks after the final dose. The study will investigate the safety and tolerability as primary end point and assess target engagement and fibrosis improvement as secondary end points.

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.
53

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 1

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

  • United States
    • California
      • Redwood City, California, United States, 94063
        • Digestive Health Center, Stanford University
      • Stanford, California, United States, 94305
        • Stanford University

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:

  • 1) Male or non-pregnant/ non-lactating women ≥ 18 years of age

  • 2) Diagnosis of NASH: NAFLD activity score (NAS) of 4 or greater with a score of 1 for each of the following (steatosis scored 0-3, lobular inflammation scored 0-3, ballooning scored 0-2):

    • Steatosis
    • Lobular inflammation
    • Hepatocyte ballooning 3) Fibrosis (Ishak fibrosis score ≥1 on liver biopsy) within 6 months of enrollment with MELD<10, or based on MRE

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of any other form of liver disease, including viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, genetic causes of chronic liver disease):
  • Subjects with other etiologies of chronic liver disease, such as chronic hepatitis B and C; autoimmune hepatitis; and inherited liver disease.
  • ALT>300 U/l
  • Total serum bilirubin ≥ to 1.3 mg/dL (Gilbert's Syndrome patients excepted)
  • International Normalized Ratio (INR) ≥ 1.3
  • MELD>10
  • Serum creatinine >2.0mg/dl

  • Known alcohol abuse or alcohol use disorder:

    • >20 g/day for women
    • >30 g/day for men
  • Active substance abuse
  • Any medical condition that prevents MRE, MR-PDFF
  • Platelet count ≤100//mm3
  • Decompensated cirrhosis
  • Hemoglobin <11 g/dl in females or <12 g/dl in males
  • Presence/history of HCC
  • History of liver transplantation
  • History of bariatric surgery
  • History of inflammatory bowel disease
  • History of cardiovascular disease, long QT syndrome.
  • Subjects who have participated in investigational drug trials and took any investigational drugs within 60 days prior to the first dose of Idebenone. History of receiving other investigations drug within 30 days prior to enrollment
  • Any concerns regarding compliance by enrolling physician

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.
Experimental: Idebenone
Participants will take Idebenone 200 mg for 48 weeks, with study visits in clinic for physical and laboratory assessments at weeks 0, 2, 4, 12, 24, 36, and 48 weeks during treatment period and at 4, and 12 weeks after the last dose.
Drug: Idebenone
Idebenone, initially 200mg by mouth (P.O.) once a day for 2 weeks, then 200 mg twice a day for 2 weeks, then 200 mg three times per day for the remainder of the study will be used.
Other Names:
  • Placebo
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Participants will take Placebo for 48 weeks, with study visits in clinic for physical and laboratory assessments at weeks 0, 2, 4, 12, 24, 36, and 48 weeks during treatment period and at 4, and 12 weeks after the last dose.
Drug: Placebo
Placebo to match Idebenone once a day for 2 weeks, then twice a day for 2 weeks, then three times per day for the remainder of the study will be used.

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
Number of Participants With Treatment-Related Adverse Events as Assessed by CTCAE v4.0
Time Frame: 60 weeks
Number of Participants with Treatment-Related Adverse Events (Assessed by CTCAE v4.0), and number of participants with abnormal Physical exams and abnormal laboratory tests results are reported.
60 weeks

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
Change in Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) as a Measure of Change in Fibrosis Stage
Time Frame: Week 48
MR elastography is a standard of care technique to assess liver stiffness, that is a highly accurate non-invasive method. MRE creates elastograms (stiffness maps) and data generated in kilopascals (kPa) are correlated to fibrosis stage. Change in stiffness values indicate change in fibrosis. < 2.5 kPa: normal; 2.5 to 3.0 kPa: normal or inflammation; 3.0 to 3.5 kPa: stage 1-2 fibrosis; 3.5 to 4.0 kPa: stage 2-3 fibrosis; 4.0 to 5.0 kPa: stage 3-4 fibrosis; > 5.0 kPa: Stage 4 fibrosis or cirrhosis.
Week 48

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.
Stanford University

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.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

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: Natalie Torok, MD, Stanford University

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.
July 30, 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.
July 5, 2023

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 5, 2023

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 8, 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.
December 14, 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.
December 16, 2020

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.
April 24, 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 7, 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.
March 1, 2026

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.
  • 52212
  • R21DK111217 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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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