Study of Nitazoxanide, Peginterferon Alfa-2a and Ribavirin for the Treatment of Hepatitis C (STEALTHC-2)

Phase II, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study of Nitazoxanide in Combination With Peginterferon Alfa-2a and Ribavirin in Patients With Hepatitis C Who Have Failed to Respond to a Prior Course of Peginterferon and Ribavirin

The purpose of this study is to determine if nitazoxanide in combination with peginterferon alfa-2a and ribavirin is safe and effective in treating chronic hepatitis C in patients that have previously failed to respond to treatment with peginterferon and ribavirin.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Chronic Hepatitis C
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Nitazoxanide; Biological: Peginterferon alfa-2a; Drug: Ribavirin; Drug: Placebo

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 64
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Palo Alto, California, United States, 94304
      • VA Palo Alto Healthcare System
    • Stanford, California, United States, 94305
      • Stanford University School of Medicine
  • Connecticut
    • New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06520
      • Yale University Digestive Diseases
  • Florida
    • Gainesville, Florida, United States, 32610
      • University Of Florida Hepatology
    • Largo, Florida, United States, 33777
      • Florida Center for Gastroenterology
  • Georgia
    • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30308
      • Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates
  • New York
    • New York, New York, United States, 10021
      • Weill Cornell Medical College
  • Tennessee
    • Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37205
      • Nashville Medical Research Institute
  • Texas
    • Fort Sam Houston, Texas, United States, 78234
      • Brooke Army Medical Center
  • Virginia
    • Richmond, Virginia, United States, 23249
      • McGuire VA Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Chronic hepatitis C genotype 1.
• Failed to respond to ≥12 weeks of peginterferon and ribavirin (<2 log10 drop in Hepatitis C Virus Ribonucleic Acid (HCV RNA) at week 12 or detectable Hepatitis C Virus Ribonucleic Acid (HCV RNA) at week 24).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Females of child-bearing age who are either pregnant, breast-feeding or not using birth control and are sexually active.
• Males whose female partners are either pregnant or of child-bearing potential or not using birth control and are sexually active.
• Other causes of liver disease including autoimmune hepatitis.
• Transplant recipients receiving immune suppression therapy.
• Screening tests positive for Anti-Hepatitis A Virus Immunoglobulin M Antibody (anti-HAV IgM Ab), Hepatitis B's antigen (HBsAg), Anti-Hepatitis B core antigen Immunoglobulin M Antibody (anti-HBc IgM Ab) or Anti-Human Immunodeficiency Virus Antibody (anti-HIV Ab).
• Decompensated cirrhosis, history of variceal bleeding, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score >6 or Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score >8.
• Alcohol consumption of >40 grams per day or an alcohol use pattern that will interfere with the study.
• Absolute neutrophil count <1500 cells/mm3; platelet count <135,000 cells/mm3; hemoglobin <12 g/dL for women and <13 g/dL for men; or serum creatinine concentration ≥1.5 times Upper Limit of Normal (ULN).
• Hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism not effectively treated with medication.
• Hemoglobin A1C (HgbA1c) >7.5 or history of diabetes mellitus.
• Body Mass Index (BMI) >28.
• History or other clinical evidence of significant or unstable cardiac disease.
• History or other clinical evidence of chronic pulmonary disease associated with functional impairment.
• Serious or severe bacterial infection(s).
• Ulcerative or hemorrhagic/ischemic colitis.
• Pancreatitis.
• History of severe or uncontrolled psychiatric disease, including severe depression, history of suicidal ideation, suicidal attempts or psychosis requiring medication and/or hospitalization.
• History of uncontrolled severe seizure disorder.
• Requires concomitant theophylline or methadone.
• History of immunologically mediated disease requiring more than intermittent anti-inflammatory medications for management or that requires frequent or prolonged use of corticosteroids.
• History or other evidence of severe retinopathy or clinically relevant ophthalmological disorder due to diabetes mellitus or hypertension.
• Hemoglobinopathies.
• History of hypersensitivity or intolerance to nitazoxanide or any of the excipients comprising the nitazoxanide tablets, peginterferon alfa-2a injectable solution or ribavirin tablets.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: 1; Oral 500 mg nitazoxanide twice daily for 4 weeks followed by oral 500 mg nitazoxanide twice daily plus weekly injections of peginterferon alfa-2a plus oral ribavirin (1000 mg if <75 kg body weight or 1200 mg if ≥75 kg body weight) in daily divided doses for 48 weeks.	Drug: Nitazoxanide; One oral 500 mg nitazoxanide tablet twice daily for 52 weeks.; Other Names: Alinia; Biological: Peginterferon alfa-2a; Weekly injections of 180µg peginterferon alfa-2a for 48 weeks.; Other Names: PEGASYS; Drug: Ribavirin; 1000 mg (if <75 kg body weight) or 1200 mg (if ≥75 kg body weight) ribavirin in divided daily doses for 48 weeks.; Other Names: COPEGUS
Placebo Comparator: 2; Oral placebo twice daily for 4 weeks followed by oral placebo twice daily plus weekly injections of peginterferon alfa-2a plus oral ribavirin (1000 mg if <75 kg body weight or 1200 mg if ≥75 kg body weight) in daily divided doses for 48 weeks.	Biological: Peginterferon alfa-2a; Weekly injections of 180µg peginterferon alfa-2a for 48 weeks.; Other Names: PEGASYS; Drug: Ribavirin; 1000 mg (if <75 kg body weight) or 1200 mg (if ≥75 kg body weight) ribavirin in divided daily doses for 48 weeks.; Other Names: COPEGUS; Drug: Placebo; One oral placebo tablet twice daily for 52 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Sustained Virologic Response (HCV RNA Below Lower Limit of Detection)	Hepatitis C Virus Ribonucleic Acid (HCV RNA) below lower limit of detection 24 weeks after the end of treatment. All others were considered non-responders.	24 weeks after end of treatment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
End of Treatment Response (HCV RNA Below Lower Limit of Detection)	Hepatitis C Virus Ribonucleic Acid (HCV RNA) below lower limit of detection at the end of treatment. All others were considered non-responders.	At end of treatment
Early Virologic Response (HCV RNA Below Lower Limit of Detection)	Hepatitis C Virus Ribonucleic Acid (HCV RNA) below lower limit of detection after 12 weeks of combination therapy.	After 12 weeks combination treatment
Rapid Virologic Response (HCV RNA Below Lower Limit of Detection)	Hepatitis C Virus Ribonucleic Acid (HCV RNA) below lower limit of detection after 4 weeks of combination therapy.	After 4 weeks combination treatment
Changes in ALT	This analysis was conducted using a comparison of changes in Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) from baseline through week 8, week 16, end of treatment and end of follow up.	From baseline to week 8
Changes in ALT	This analysis was conducted using a comparison of changes in Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) from baseline through week 8, week 16, end of treatment and end of follow up.	From baseline to week 16
Changes in ALT	This analysis was conducted using a comparison of changes in Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) from baseline through week 8, week 16, end of treatment and end of follow up.	From baseline to end of treatment
Changes in ALT	This analysis was conducted using a comparison of changes in Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) from baseline through week 8, week 16, end of treatment and end of follow up.	From baseline to end of follow up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Romark Laboratories L.C.
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Ramsey Cheung, MD, VA Palo Alto Health Care System; Principal Investigator: David Nelson, MD, University Of Florida Hepatology; Principal Investigator: Stephen Harrison, MD, Brooke Army Medical Center; Principal Investigator: Arthur Berman, DO, Florida Center for Gastroenterology; Principal Investigator: Ronald Pruitt, MD, Nashville Medical Research Institute; Principal Investigator: Ahmed Aijaz, MD, Stanford University; Principal Investigator: Ira Jacobson, MD, Weill Medical College of Cornell University; Principal Investigator: Mitchell Shiffman, MD, McGuire VA Medical Center; Principal Investigator: Joseph Lim, MD, Yale University Digestive Diseases; Principal Investigator: Norman Gitlin, MD, Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: July 1, 2007
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 1, 2010
• Study Completion (Actual): February 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 2, 2007
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 2, 2007
• First Posted (Estimate): July 3, 2007

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): May 8, 2014
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 8, 2014
• Last Verified: April 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Hepatitis C, Chronic
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Digestive System Diseases; RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Infections; Blood-Borne Infections; Communicable Diseases; Liver Diseases; Flaviviridae Infections; Hepatitis, Viral, Human; Enterovirus Infections; Picornaviridae Infections; Hepatitis, Chronic; Hepatitis; Hepatitis A; Hepatitis C; Hepatitis C, Chronic; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Anti-Infective Agents; Antiviral Agents; Antimetabolites; Antiparasitic Agents; Ribavirin; Peginterferon alfa-2a; Nitazoxanide
• Other Study ID Numbers: RM01-2025