Baricitinib in the Treatment of Kohlmeier-Degos Disease in Patients With Neurological Involvement

April 2, 2026 updated by: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

A Phase IIa Trial of Baricitinib in the Treatment of Kohlmeier-Degos Disease Patients With Neurological Involvement

Background:

Kohlmeier-Degos (KD) is a rare disease that causes inflammation and blood clots, leading to blockages in small blood vessels. These blockages can result in K-D lesions throughout the body, affecting the skin, lungs, heart, spinal cord, and brain. KD can be fatal. No treatment exists for this disease.

Objective:

To test a study drug (baricitinib) in people with brain and spine lesions caused by KD disease. Baricitinib is FDA approved to treat other disorders but has not yet been tried in people with KD.

Eligibility:

People aged 18 years or older with KD-related lesions in the brain and spine.

Design:

Participants will be screened; they will have a physical exam with blood tests. They will also have a baseline visit that may include multiple tests, such as imaging scans of the brain and spine; a lumbar puncture to collect fluid from the spinal canal; and a meeting with a neurologist. They will fill out a questionnaire about their health. They will continue to take their normal medications throughout the study.

Baricitinib is a tablet taken by mouth. Participants will remain on their normal medications for 12 weeks after their baseline visit. Then they will also take the study drug once a day at home for 24 weeks.

Participants will have clinic visits every few weeks for up to 40 weeks. Some visits may take 1 to 4 days. Baseline tests will be repeated 3 more times during study visits. Other visits will require only blood tests; these may be done by local labs that will send the samples to NIH; 2 visits may be done via telehealth....

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.

Detailed Description

Study Description:

This phase II study will provide off-label baricitinib treatment in patients with Kohlmeier Degos disease (K-D) with neurologic involvement. We will perform a baseline research evaluation at the time of enrollment and follow each patient for 12 weeks of background therapy (defined as medications taken by the subject for management of Degos symptoms) followed by 24 weeks of baricitinib treatment (4 mg daily) in addition to background therapy followed by 4 additional weeks of background therapy with final safety assessment at 40 weeks. We will repeat research evaluations at the end of weeks 12, 24, and 36. We will compare the disease progression between weeks 1 through 12 to weeks 13 through 24 as well as weeks 13 through 36. We hypothesize that baricitinib, which targets type I interferon (IFN) and IFN-g signaling, will attenuate various neurological manifestations of K-D that are observed clinically, radiologically or in abnormal laboratory findings in our KD patients. This will help reduce IFN signaling in a manner that may slow or halt the disease progression as measured by the endpoints established below.

Objectives:

Primary Objective:

To test whether baricitinib delays progression of neuroradiological manifestations in patients with neurological involvement of K-D disease.

Secondary Objectives:

To test whether baricitinib treatment improves patient-reported outcomes.

Exploratory Objectives:

  • Assess changes in immune cell proportion using single cell Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) sequencing (scRNA-seq) in biospecimens such as skin, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood after 12 and 24 weeks of baricitinib treatment compared to 12 weeks of just background therapy
  • Assess changes in plasma/serum cytokine levels and IFN scores as well as biomarker assays in CSF/blood samples after 12 and 24 weeks of baricitinib treatment compared to 12 weeks of just background therapy.
  • To assess whether 12 or 24 weeks of baricitinib treatment will stabilize or improve clinical neurologic exams.
  • To assess whether 12 or 24 weeks of baricitinib treatment compared to 12 weeks of just background therapy will reduce the number of new acute K-D skin lesions or slow/halt the progression of existing K-D skin lesions. To assess whether 12 or 24 weeks of baricitinib treatment will reduce the number of new acute K-D skin lesions or slow/halt the progression of existing K-D skin lesions.

Endpoints:

  • The primary endpoint will assess the stability of existing enhancing lesions or the lack of development of new enhancing lesions in the brain and spine observed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) after 12 or 24 weeks of baricitinib treatment (4 milligrams [mg] daily) compared to existing enhancing lesions observed over 12 weeks of background therapy.
  • The secondary endpoints will assess the change over 12 and 24 weeks of baricitinib treatment as compared to 12 weeks of background therapy only for the following outcomes: self-reported outcome measures based on health-related questionnaire ( SF-36 ).

  • Exploratory endpoints of this study will be clinical and potential surrogate biomarker efficacy data, including:

    • Changes in transcriptome/ribonucleic acid (RNA) expression determined by scRNA-seq in skin, CSF and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) after 12 or 24 weeks of baricitinib treatment as compared to 12 weeks of background therapy only.
    • Attenuation of plasma/serum cytokine levels and IFN scores as well as biomarkers in assays using CSF and blood samples after 12 and 24 weeks of baricitinib treatment as compared to 12 weeks of background therapy.
    • Stability or improvement of motor and/or sensory function on clinical neurologic exams after the 12 or 24 weeks of baricitinib treatment as compared to 12 weeks of background therapy only.
    • Changes in the number of new acute K-D skin lesions or slowing/halting progression of existing K-D skin lesions after 12 or 24 weeks of baricitinib treatment as compared to 12 weeks of background therapy only.

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.
12

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 Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Maryland
      • Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
        • Recruiting
        • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
        • Contact:
          • NIH Clinical Center Office of Patient Recruitment (OPR)
          • Phone Number: TTY dial 711 800-411-1222
          • Email: ccopr@nih.gov

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

  • INCLUSION CRITERIA:

In order to be eligible to participate in this study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:

  • Provision of signed and dated informed consent form by the subject or Legally Authorized Representative (LAR).
  • Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study.
  • Male or female, aged 18 or older.
  • Subjects diagnosed with systemic Degos disease, who manifest neurologic abnormalities observed clinically, radiologically or in abnormal laboratory findings.
  • Ability to take oral medication and be willing to adhere to the baricitinib regimen.
  • For female patients of reproductive potential, non-pregnant, non-breastfeeding: agree to use of highly effective contraception for the duration of the study and 30 days after the last dose.
  • Ability of subject or LAR to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

  • Active infection not responding to appropriate therapy
  • Hemoglobin <7 g/dL
  • Platelet counts < 50 K /mcL
  • Neutropenia (ANC <0.5 x k/mcL)
  • Lymphopenia (Absolute Lymphocyte Count [ALC] <0.2x k/mcL)
  • Liver function tests (LFTs > 2x time upper limit of normal)
  • Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR)/Creatinine (Cr < 30 mL/min)
  • Have experienced any of the following within 12 weeks of screening: VTE (DVT/pulmonary embolism [PE]), myocardial infarction (MI), unstable ischemic heart disease, stroke, or New York Heart Association Stage III/IV heart failure.
  • Have had symptomatic herpes zoster infection within 12 weeks prior to a enrolling in the study .
  • Have had household contact with a person with active TB and did not receive appropriate and documented prophylaxis for TB.
  • Have evidence of active TB or latent TB
  • Have been exposed to a live vaccine within 12 weeks of baricitinib treatment or are expected to need/receive a live vaccine during the course of the study
  • No gadolinium based contrast agent exposure is permitted if eGFR < 30 mL/min/1.73m^2 using the CKD-EPI equation measured within 5 days .
  • Breast feeding
  • Pregnancy
  • Uncontrolled malignancy

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: 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: Participants with K(SqrRoot)(Delta)hlmeier-Degos Disease receiving Baricitinib
All participants will take baricitinib 4mg oral daily for 24 weeks.
Drug: Baricitinib
Participants will be instructed to take baricitinib 4mg oral daily for 24 weeks (with or without food)

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 stability of existing enhancing lesions in the brain and/or spine observed in MRI
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 12, Week 24, Week 36
Stability of existing enhancing lesions in the brain and/or spine observed in MRI after 12 or 24 weeks of baricitinib treatment (4 mg daily) as compared to MRI images after 12 weeks of background therapy only.
Baseline, Week 12, Week 24, Week 36
Number of participants with no new enhancing lesions in the brain and/or spine observed in MRI
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 12, Week 24, Week 36
Lack of development of new enhancing lesions in the brain and/or spine observed in MRI after 12 or 24 weeks of baricitinib treatment (4 mg daily) as compared to MRI images after 12 weeks of background therapy only.
Baseline, Week 12, Week 24, Week 36

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 health outcome questionnaire, Short Form-36 (SF-36)
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 12, Week 16, Week 24, Week 36, and up to Week 40
Compare the change in health outcome questionnaire, Short Form-36 (SF-36), over 12 and 24 weeks of baricitinib treatment as compared to 12 weeks of background therapy. This 36-item, patient-reported survey assesses quality of life. It consists of eight scaled scores, which are the weighted sums of the questions in their section. Each scale is directly transformed into a 0-100 scale on the assumption that each question carries equal weight. The lower the score the more disability. The higher the score the less disability i.e., a score of zero is equivalent to maximum disability and a score of 100 is equivalent to no disability.
Baseline, Week 12, Week 16, Week 24, Week 36, and up to Week 40
Neurological symptoms using CTCAE
Time Frame: Up to 40 weeks
Compare the change of neurological symptoms using CTCAE over 12 and 24 weeks of baricitinib treatment as compared to 12 weeks of background therapy.
Up to 40 weeks

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.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

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: Cornelia D Cudrici, M.D., National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

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.

Helpful Links

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.
February 18, 2026

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.
December 14, 2030

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 15, 2030

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 10, 2025

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 10, 2025

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 11, 2025

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 3, 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 2, 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.
  • 10002416
  • 002416-H

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

All IPD that underlie results in a publication

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Starting approximately 6 months after publication and available indefinitely

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Data will be shared through the NHLBI BioData Catalyst, which is a controlled access repository.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

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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