Assess the Antifibrotic Activity of Fuzheng Huayu in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients With Hepatic Fibrosis

A Phase II, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind, Multi-Center Study to Assess the Antifibrotic Activity of Fuzheng Huayu in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients With Hepatic Fibrosis

Current treatment of chronic liver disease relies upon removing the primary insult to the liver (e.g., alcohol) or treating the underlying viral infection (HBV, HCV, etc.). However, in the case of hepatitis C, a significant number of individuals will not clear the virus with current approved standard antiviral therapy, leaving them no options to manage their hepatic fibrosis, which can progress to cirrhosis and ultimately hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Fuzheng Huayu has been used in numerous studies in China and has been found to have a satisfactory prophylaxis effect on the chronic liver injury and formed liver fibrosis in rats and humans. In addition, it enhances the degradation of liver fibrosis and protects hepatocytes from injury and death, manifesting as decreasing of ALT and AST, and enhancement of albumin level. In addition, preliminary studies indicate that the Fuzheng Huayu has a good safety and tolerability profile with promising efficacy.

The number of patients failing Interferon based therapy (i.e. not achieving SVR) is increasing. There are no approved standard of care treatment options for this population nor for patients who are intolerant or unwilling to receive Interferon; thus they are at higher risk for the progression of fibrosis. Moreover, there are no approved therapies to treat hepatic fibrosis, but basic research is exploring the pathophysiological mechanisms. Fuzheng Huayu is easy to administer, with a good safety and efficacy profile against fibrosis. Therefore, the investigators propose to further study the safety and efficacy profile of Fuzheng Huayu in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind study in Chronic Hepatitis C patients with hepatic fibrosis who have failed prior anti-HCV therapy or are intolerant or refuse Interferon based therapy.

The primary objective of this study is to establish the safety and efficacy of Fuzheng Huayu treatment in chronic hepatitis C subjects who have failed prior anti-HCV therapy or cannot receive or refused Interferon based therapy in improving liver fibrosis.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Chronic Hepatitis C Infection
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Fuzheng Huayu; Drug: Placebo

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 118
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Coronado, California, United States, 92118
      • Scti Research Foundation
    • Palo Alto, California, United States, 94304
      • VA Palo Alto HCS
    • Pasadena, California, United States, 91105
      • Huntington Medical Research Institutes
    • Sacramento, California, United States, 95817
      • UC Davis Health System
    • San Clemente, California, United States, 92673
      • Southern California Liver Centers
  • Florida
    • Port Orange, Florida, United States, 32127
      • Advanced Medical Research Center
  • Texas
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
      • St. Luke's Advanced Liver Therapies
  • Utah
    • Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 84132
      • University of Utah HSC

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 14 years to 66 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Main Inclusion Criteria:

1. Male or female 18-70 years of age.
2. Chronic hepatitis C infection based on documented history of a positive serum anti-HCV antibody test and/or detectable levels of HCV RNA ≥ 50 IU/mL.
3. Failure to achieve sustained Virologic response (SVR) with previous Interferon based therapy or subjects who refuse Interferon based therapy or are intolerant to Interferon.
4. All subjects enrolling in the study and all fertile or potentially fertile sexual partners of subjects must be using two reliable forms of effective contraception during the study unless a study participant/partner is surgically sterile or postmenopausal.

Main Exclusion Criteria:

1. Subjects with any history of decompensated liver disease, including but not restricted to portal hypertension as manifested by gastroesophageal varices, variceal bleeding, ascites, or encephalopathy or a hepatic mass lesion suspicious for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
2. Liver histology consistent with any other co-existing cause of chronic liver disease (apart from fatty liver).
3. Subjects who have been treated for HCV infection within 6 months before Screening.
4. Subjects who have been on any experimental protocol or therapy within 28 days before Screening.
5. Known HIV infection.
6. Chronic hepatitis B infection
7. Uncontrolled diabetes.
8. Unstable or uncontrolled thyroid disease
9. Uncontrolled seizures disorder.
10. History of malignant cancer within the last 5 years with the exception of localized basal or squamous cell carcinoma.
11. Alcohol and/or drug abuse within the past year.
12. Pregnant or lactating women or women who plan to become pregnant during the study.

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: Fuzheng Huayu; Pill with Fuzheng Huayu	Drug: Fuzheng Huayu; The subjects will be taking 2 tablets three times a day for 48 weeks.; Other Names: FZHY; Gan Ping; 319 Recipe
Placebo Comparator: Placebo; Pill without Fuzheng Huayu (sugar pill)	Drug: Placebo; The subjects will be taking 2 tablets three times a day for 48 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Safety of Fuzheng Huayu Treatment in Chronic Hepatitis C Subjects Who Have Failed Prior Anti-HCV Therapy or Cannot Receive or Refused Interferon Based Therapy.	Safety will be evaluated through the changes in vital signs, physical examinations, adverse events, concomitant medication assessments as well as laboratory tests.	Baseline to Week 60
Efficacy of Fuzheng Huayu Treatment in Chronic Hepatitis C Subjects Who Have Failed Prior Anti-HCV Therapy or Cannot Receive or Refused Interferon Based Therapy.	Efficacy of Fuzheng Huayu treatment was assessed through the change in liver fibrosis stage from the assessment before (pre) and after (post) study drug. The liver fibrosis staging system used was the Ishak scale. The Ishak liver fibrosis score ranges from 0 indicating no fibrosis to 6 indicating cirrhosis. "Fibrosis improved" was defined as a lower post study drug Ishak score, by at least 1 point, from pre-study drug assessment of the liver fibrosis e.g. if a pre study drug Ishak score of 4 and then a post study drug Ishak score of 3 or lower. "Fibrosis did not change" was defined as having the same Ishak score before and after study drug assessments e.g. if a pre study drug Ishak score of 4 and then a post study drug Ishak score of 4. "Fibrosis worsened" was defined as a higher post study drug Ishak score, by at least 1 point, from pre-study drug assessment of the liver fibrosis e.g. if a pre study drug Ishak score of 4 and then a post study drug Ishak score of 5 or higher.	Baseline to Week 48

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Tarek Hassanein
• Collaborators: Shanghai Sundise Traditional Chinese Medicine Co., Ltd.
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Tarek Hassanein, MD, Scti Research Foundation

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: August 1, 2010
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 1, 2013
• Study Completion (Actual): August 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 26, 2009
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 27, 2009
• First Posted (Estimate): March 2, 2009

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 19, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 28, 2021
• Last Verified: April 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Fibrosis; HCV; Hepatitis C Virus; San Diego; Relapser; Herbal treatment; Treatment failure; Herbs; Non responder; Antifibrotic; Anti-fibrotic; Failure of previous Interferon based therapy; Refuse Interferon based therapy; Intolerance to Interferon; Male or female 18-70 years of age
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Digestive System Diseases; Pathologic Processes; RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Infections; Blood-Borne Infections; Communicable Diseases; Liver Diseases; Flaviviridae Infections; Hepatitis, Viral, Human; Enterovirus Infections; Picornaviridae Infections; Fibrosis; Hepatitis; Hepatitis A; Hepatitis C; Hepatitis, Chronic; Hepatitis C, Chronic
• Other Study ID Numbers: Fuzheng Huayu S-USIIT-01 Study