Subcutaneous Calcitonin in Acute Herpes Zoster

June 13, 2026 updated by: Amira Elkabalawy, Tanta University

The Prophylactic Value of Subcutaneous Calcitonin in Acute Herpes Zoster Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This prospective randomized controlled study will be conducted to evaluate the effect of adding calcitonin to the standard treatment protocol in patients with acute herpes zoster infection.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet 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

Herpes zoster is associated with inflammation of the dorsal root ganglion and peripheral nerves, and this inflammation is considered to be an important causative factor for postherpetic neuralgia.

Interventions aimed at reducing this inflammation should therefore be effective in decreasing the likelihood of developing postherpetic neuralgia. Epidural administration of corticosteroids and local anesthetics has been shown to be effective, but is associated with the risk of arachnoiditis. Subcutaneous injection in an outpatient setting may be effective in preventing postherpetic neuralgia and is also considerably safer. Calcitonin has previously been shown to be effective in the management of acute pain following amputation. Also it was used in a previous study to prevent complex regional pain syndrome in severe hemiplegic patients after stroke. Also, a previous case report revealed that IV calcitonin provided immediate and sustained improvement in post herpetic neuralgia for over two months, without adverse effects from the calcitonin therapy.

However, no previous trials evaluated the effect of subcutaneous calcitonin as a preventive measure against the development of postherpetic neuralgia. We will conduct this study as we hypothesize that calcitonin therapy in patients with acute herpes zoster may be associated with better acute pain control and therefore may decrease the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia.

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.
168

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

  • Egypt
    • Gharbia Governorate
      • Tanta, Gharbia Governorate, Egypt, 31527
        • Tanta University Hospitals
        • 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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • patients aged ≥ 50 years, with acute herpes zoster infection (rash duration < 7 days) and moderate to severe pain.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Coagulation abnormalities
  • Pre-existing other pain syndrome or psychological disorders.
  • Severe hepatic, cardiovascular, or renal disorders.
  • Allergy to calcitonin.

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: 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: Calcitonin group
patients will receive subcutaneous salmon calcitonin 100 IU (ampoule = 1 ml) daily for three weeks.
Drug: Calcitonin
patients will receive subcutaneous salmon calcitonin 100 IU (ampoule = 1 ml) daily for three weeks
Placebo Comparator: Control group
patients will receive subcutaneous saline (1 ml) daily for three weeks.
Other: Saline
patients will receive subcutaneous saline (1 ml) daily for three weeks.

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
Incidence of postherpetic neuralgia at 3 months after rash onset.
Time Frame: 3 months after onset of acute herpes zoster rash.
A numeric rating scale (NRS) that ranged from 0 for "no pain" to 10 for "worst ever pain will be used to assess the degree of pain. Pain score more than (3) at 3 months after onset of acute herpes zoster rash will be considered positive for the occurrence of postherpetic neuralgia.
3 months after onset of acute herpes zoster rash.

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
Incidence of postherpetic neuralgia.
Time Frame: 6 months after onset of acute herpes zoster rash.
Pain score more than 3.
6 months after onset of acute herpes zoster rash.
Severity of acute herpes zoster pain.
Time Frame: Up to 1 month after onset of acute herpes zoster rash.
A numeric rating scale (NRS) that ranged from 0 for "no pain" to 10 for "worst ever pain will be used to assess the degree of pain.
Up to 1 month after onset of acute herpes zoster rash.
Number of medications used to treat pain.
Time Frame: up to 6 months after onset of acute herpes zoster rash.
Analgesics, anti-neuropathic pain medications and opioids will be recorded.
up to 6 months after onset of acute herpes zoster rash.
Side effects
Time Frame: Up to 1 month after onset of acute herpes zoster rash.
Vomiting
Up to 1 month after onset of acute herpes zoster rash.

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.
Tanta 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 (Estimated)

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 1, 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.
April 1, 2027

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.
October 1, 2027

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 13, 2026

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 13, 2026

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.
June 18, 2026

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.
June 18, 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.
June 13, 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.
June 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.
  • 36265PR14/4/26

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

The data will be available upon a reasonable request from the corresponding author.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

After completion of the study.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

The data will be available upon a reasonable request from the corresponding author.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP

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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