A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of Nebulized Bacteriophages in Patients With Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Due to Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (PYOPHANEB)

August 31, 2026 updated by: Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) complicates the hospital course of up to 40% of mechanically ventilated patients and is associated with mortality rates approaching 30%, despite appropriate antibiotic therapy (ATB). Gram-negative bacteria account for approximately 60% of VAP episodes, with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) being one of the most common pathogens. Recurrent Pa-VAP occurs in 19-33% of cases outside the COVID-19 setting, whereas recurrence rates as high as 79% have been reported in patients with COVID-19, most often caused by the same pathogen and frequently occurring despite adequate antibiotic therapy.

Several attempts have been made to improve pulmonary antibiotic exposure by combining intravenous therapy with aerosolized antibiotics delivered through conventional nebulizers. However, clinical results have been disappointing, largely because standard jet nebulizers deliver less than 10% of the nominal dose to the lungs owing to high residual volumes, drug deposition within the ventilator circuit and endotracheal tube, and loss through the expiratory limb. Even with more efficient vibrating mesh nebulizers, two recent randomized con-trolled trials failed to demonstrate any clinical benefit of adjunctive nebulized antibiotics in patients with Gram-negative VAP.

Bacteriophages are bacteria-specific viruses that have emerged as a promising therapeutic alternative for difficult-to-treat bacterial infections. Their highly specific host range allows selective targeting of pathogenic bacteria while sparing the commensal microbiota and human cells, thereby minimizing toxicity and off-target effects. An increasing body of preclinical evidence and clinical case reports supports the safety and potential efficacy of anti-P. aeruginosa phage therapy. More recently, a porcine model of Pa-VAP demonstrated that high concentrations of bacteriophages can be efficiently delivered to the lungs by nebulization during mechanical ventilation, resulting in rapid control of the pulmonary infection. The use of phages as compassionate treatment has been authorized in September 2021 in this indication using phages produced by Phagenix- ©.

The aim of this placebo controlled study is to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of nebulized anti-Pa bacteriophages, delivered to the lung using a vi-brating mesh nebulizer, in addition to conventional IV ATB treatment.

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.

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.
184

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

  • France
      • Amiens, France, 80054
        • CHU Amiens
        • Contact:
          • Stéphanie MALAQUIN, MD
      • Angers, France, 49933
        • CHU Angers
        • Contact:
          • Pierre ASFAR, MD
      • Bobigny, France, 93000
        • Hôpital Avicenne
        • Contact:
          • Sophie NAGLE, MD
      • Clermont-Ferrand, France, 63003
        • CHU Clermont-Ferrand
        • Contact:
          • Renaud GUERIN, MD
      • Colombes, France, 92700
        • Hôpital Louis Mourier
        • Contact:
          • Baptiste GABORIEU, MD
      • Créteil, France, 94000
        • Hopital Henri Mondor
        • Contact:
          • Pierre BAY, MD
      • Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France, 94270
        • Hôpital Bicêtre
        • Contact:
          • Nadia ANGUEL, MD
      • Nice, France, 06200
        • CHU Nice
        • Contact:
          • Mathieu JOZWIAK, MD
      • Orléans, France, 45000
        • CHU Orléans
        • Contact:
          • François BARBIER, MD
      • Paris, France, 75013
        • Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière
        • Contact:
          • Alexandre BLEIBTREU, MD

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:

  1. Patients ≥ 18 years old
  2. Intubated and mechanically ventilated for at least 48 hours
  3. Mechanical ventilation expected to continue for at least 3 days
  4. Clinical diagnosis of VAP
  5. VAP due to P. aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa recovered at a significant level from lung sample (≥10^4/ml for BAL or ≥10^5/ml for tracheal aspirate or ≥10^3 CFU/ml for plugged telescopic catheter)
  6. Signed informed consent from the patient or the patient's legal representative or a family member or a close relative. According to the legal conditions of emergency inclusion, randomization without the family member or the surrogate consent could be performed if the patient is unable to give his/her consent and if no legal representative/family member or close relative is present. Close relative/ legal representative/family member consent will be asked as soon as possible. The patient will be asked to give his/her consent for continuation of the trial when his/her condition will allow.
  7. Patient with childbearing potential* should have reliable contraception for the all duration of the study
  8. Affiliation to social security (AME excluded)

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Severe hypoxemia as defined by PaO2/FiO2 < 100 mmHg, except if the patient is on ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation)
  2. Impossibility to set a tidal volume of 6 ml/kg of ideal body weight during nebulization without risk of barotrauma
  3. Patients with cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, lung resection, known bronchial obstruction, or active tuberculosis
  4. Patient not expecting to survive 48 hours after randomization
  5. Polymicrobial VAP (presence of pathogens other than P. aeruginosa at a significant level in lung samples (≥10^4/ml for BAL or ≥10^5/ml for tracheal aspirate). If the culture retrieves oropharyngeal flora, even at a significant threshold, in addition to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the patient is eligible.
  6. Contraindication to nebulization
  7. Participation in another interventional study evaluating drugs for VAP or being in the exclusion period following the end of a previous interventional study evaluating drugs for VAP
  8. Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  9. Patients under guardianship or curatorship

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: Bacteriophages GMP
Nebulization of bacteriophages PP1450, PP1777, PP1792 and PP1797 will be performed using a vibrating mesh nebulizer (Aerogen). The aerosol generator will be placed upstream of the heated humidifier, which will remain active during administration. The nebulizer chamber will be filled immediately prior to dosing. When clinically feasible, mechanical ventilation settings will be standardized (volume-controlled mode, tidal volume 6-8 mL/kg ideal body weight, respiratory rate 16-20/min, inspiratory flow <40 L/min), with no specific adjustments for PEEP or FiO₂. Sedation may be used to minimize patient-ventilator asynchrony. Nebulization is expected to last approximately 45-60 minutes. These settings are recommended but not mandatory.
Biological: Bacteriophages GMP
Five administrations of phages daily from D1 to D5
Placebo Comparator: Saline solution
Nebulization of saline solution will be performed using a vibrating mesh nebulizer (Aerogen). The aerosol generator will be placed upstream of the heated humidifier, which will remain active during administration. The nebulizer chamber will be filled immediately prior to dosing. When clinically feasible, mechanical ventilation settings will be standardized (volume-controlled mode, tidal volume 6-8 mL/kg ideal body weight, respiratory rate 16-20/min, inspiratory flow <40 L/min), with no specific adjustments for PEEP or FiO₂. Sedation may be used to minimize patient-ventilator asynchrony. Nebulization is expected to last approximately 45-60 minutes. These settings are recommended but not mandatory.
Drug: saline solution (placebo)
Five administrations of saline solution daily from D1 to D5

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
Proportion of patients alive and cured at D28 and without any recurrence of Pa-VAP between the initial episode and D28.
Time Frame: Day 28

Cure is defined as :

  • Resolution of signs and symptoms of infection
  • Improvement of PaO2/FiO2 ratio as compared to value the day VAP is diagnosed
  • No appearance of new signs of sepsis All 3 criteria must be fulfilled 7 to 10 days after antibiotic initiation

Recurrence is defined as:

-a clinically suspected VAP (fever, radiological opacity, increase in ventilation need)

A microbiological confirmation with Pa recovered at a significant level from lung sample (≥10^4/ml for BAL or ≥10^5/ml for tracheal aspirate or ≥ 10^3 CFU/mL for plugged telescopic catheter).
Day 28

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
Time Frame
Resolution of ventilator-associated pneumonia symptoms
Time Frame: Day 7 +/- 3 days
Day 7 +/- 3 days
Incidence of new ventilator-associated pneumonia
Time Frame: Day 7 +/- 3 days and day 14
Day 7 +/- 3 days and day 14
Clinical improvement, defined by a modified Clinical pulmonary infection score <4 (range 0-12, with higher score indicating worse outcome) and no new Pseudomonas aeruginosa ventilator-associated pneumonia episode
Time Frame: Day 14
Day 14
Incidence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa detection in respiratory samples
Time Frame: Day 3, Day 5, Day 7, Day 10, Day 14 and Day 28
Day 3, Day 5, Day 7, Day 10, Day 14 and Day 28
Number of days alive
Time Frame: Day 28
Day 28
Number of day without invasive mechanical ventilation
Time Frame: Day 28
Day 28
Number of day without antibiotics
Time Frame: Day 28
Day 28
Anti-phage antibody presence and titers,
Time Frame: Day 1, 7, 10, 14 and 28
Day 1, 7, 10, 14 and 28
Phage neutralization titers
Time Frame: Day 1, 7, 10, 14 and 28
Day 1, 7, 10, 14 and 28
Mortality rate
Time Frame: Day 28 and Day 60
Day 28 and Day 60
Prevalence of ESBL-producing and carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in fecal and tracheal aspirate samples
Time Frame: Day 28
Day 28

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.
Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

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.
November 3, 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 3, 2029

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.
January 3, 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).
July 23, 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.
August 31, 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.
September 4, 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.
September 4, 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.
August 31, 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.
August 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.
  • APHP222819
  • 2024-514008-15 (EudraCT Number)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

The procedures carried out with the French data privacy authority (CNIL, Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés) do not provide for the transmission of the database, nor do the information and consent documents signed by the patients.

Consultation by the editorial board or interested researchers of individual participant data that underlie the results reported in the article after deidentification may nevertheless be considered, subject to prior determination of the terms and conditions of such consultation and in respect for compliance with the applicable regulations

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Beginning 3 months and ending 3 years following article publication. Requests out of these time frame can also be submitted to the sponsor

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF

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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