Dose Escalation and Remission (DEAR) (DEAR)

Test Treat Strategy to Prevent Ulcerative Colitis Relapse

The proposed study will test whether increasing Lialda dose can reduce fecal calprotectin (FCP) levels, a marker of intestinal inflammation that is highly predictive of the risk of relapse among patients with quiescent ulcerative colitis. Sixty patients with FCP levels <50µg/g stool will be observed for 48 weeks. All patients will have FCP concentration measured using a commercially available assay at enrollment, 6 weeks and 12 weeks. All patients with persistently elevated FCP will receive one or both of the following interventions: change in the mesalamine formulation to Lialda and/or increase in the dose of Lialda. Reduction in FCP levels below 50µg/g stool 6 weeks after randomization will be the primary outcome. The proportion of patients achieving this outcome will be compared between groups using Fisher's exact test. All randomized patients as well as those who were excluded from the randomized trial because of a low FCP concentration at baseline will be followed to week 48 to determine the rate of clinical relapse.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Ulcerative Colitis
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: mesalamine

Detailed Description

Among patients with quiescent ulcerative colitis (UC), lower fecal concentrations of calprotectin are associated with lower rates of relapse. We performed an open-label, randomized controlled trial to investigate whether increasing doses of mesalamine reduce concentrations of fecal calprotectin (FC) in patients with quiescent UC.

We screened 119 patients with UC in remission on the basis of Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index scores, FC >50 µg/g, and intake of no more than 3 g/day mesalamine. Participants taking mesalamine formulations other than multimatrix mesalamine were switched to multimatrix mesalamine (2.4 g/day) for 6 weeks; 52 participants were then randomly assigned (1:1) to a group that continued its current dose of mesalamine (controls, n = 26) or a group that increased its dose by 2.4 g/day for 6 weeks (n = 26). The primary outcome was continued remission with FC <50 µg/g. Secondary outcomes were continued remission with FC <100 µg/g or <200 µg/g (among patients with pre-randomization values above these levels).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 119
• Phase: Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Florida
    • Naples, Florida, United States, 34102
      • Gastroenterology Group Of Naples
    • Winter Park, Florida, United States, 32789
      • Shafran Gastroenterology Center
  • Georgia
    • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30342
      • Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates
  • Maryland
    • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21201
      • University of Maryland Medical Center
    • Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States, 20815
      • Chevy Chase Clinical Research
  • Minnesota
    • Plymouth, Minnesota, United States, 55446
      • Minnesota Gastroenterology, P.A.
  • New Jersey
    • Marlton, New Jersey, United States, 08053
      • South Jersey Gastroenterology
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
      • University of Pennsylvania - Presbyterian 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:

1. Understand and sign the informed consent form.
2. Have documented ulcerative colitis on the basis of usual diagnostic criteria including clinical symptoms and findings from endoscopy, radiology studies, and histology.
3. Have a Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index (SCCAI)55 score below 3 with no category value greater than 1 (Table 5).
4. Three or fewer bowel movements per 24 hours at the time of enrollment.
5. No visible blood in their bowel movements in the three days prior to enrollment.
6. Have either been on a stable dose of mesalamine medication (oral, rectal or a combination of oral and rectal, including sulfasalazine) or on no mesalamine medications for at least 4 weeks prior to enrollment.
7. Have been on either a stable dose of azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, or methotrexate or on none of these medications for at least 8 weeks prior to enrollment.
8. Have experienced at least one flare of ulcerative colitis in the 2 years prior to enrollment. A flare is defined as an increase in stool frequency, bleeding, urgency and/or abdominal discomfort sufficient to warrant a change in medication dose or addition of a new medication.
9. Most recently measured serum creatinine level in the preceding year less than 1.5 mg/dL.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Age less than 18
2. Inability to speak and read English
3. Presence of an ostomy or prior total or subtotal colectomy
4. Current corticosteroid use or use within the two weeks prior to enrollment
5. Remission for less than 4 weeks prior to enrollment
6. Previous intolerance to mesalamine at doses greater than the current dose.
7. Use of rectally administered mesalamine or steroids within the 2 weeks prior to enrollment.
8. Currently taking more than 3.0 gm/day of mesalamine (oral or rectal). If on oral and rectal mesalamine, the combined dose is more than 3.0 gm/day.
9. Use of anti-TNFα therapies within the 8 weeks prior to enrollment and/or intent to use anti-TNFα therapies as maintenance therapy in the coming 12 weeks.
10. Pregnant or breast feeding women.
11. Use of an experimental therapy for ulcerative colitis in the 8 weeks prior to enrollment.
12. Any condition that the investigator feels will make completion of the study unlikely.
13. Use of cyclosporine in the two weeks prior to enrollment.
14. Moderate or severe abdominal tenderness on examination at time of enrollment.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: PREVENTION
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: NONE

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: Increase mesalamine dose by 2.4g/day; Increase dose of mesalamine by 2.4 gm per day	Drug: mesalamine; Increase dose by 2.4gm per day over baseline dose; Other Names: Lialda
NO_INTERVENTION: Maintain mesalmine dose; Maintain current mesalamine dose at 2.4 g/day

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Fecal Calprotectin Level <50µg/g	6 weeks after randomization

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Fecal Calprotectin Level <100 µg/g	at 6 weeks after randomization
Fecal Calprotectin <200 µg/g	at 6 weeks after randomization

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: James Lewis
• Collaborators: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK); Shire

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Osterman MT, Aberra FN, Cross R, Liakos S, McCabe R, Shafran I, Wolf D, Hardi R, Nessel L, Brensinger C, Gilroy E, Lewis JD; DEAR Investigators. Mesalamine dose escalation reduces fecal calprotectin in patients with quiescent ulcerative colitis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2014 Nov;12(11):1887-93.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2014.03.035. Epub 2014 Apr 30.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: September 1, 2008
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): January 1, 2013
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): January 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 1, 2008
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 1, 2008
• First Posted (ESTIMATE): April 3, 2008

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE): May 5, 2015
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 4, 2015
• Last Verified: May 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: ulcerative colitis; inflammatory bowel disease
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Digestive System Diseases; Pathologic Processes; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Gastroenteritis; Colonic Diseases; Intestinal Diseases; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Ulcer; Colitis; Colitis, Ulcerative; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Peripheral Nervous System Agents; Analgesics; Sensory System Agents; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Antirheumatic Agents; Mesalamine
• Other Study ID Numbers: K24DK078228 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)