A Study Examining the Medication Apremilast as Treatment for Chronic Itch

An Open Label Study of Apremilast in Chronic Idiopathic Pruritus

Chronic Itch is a debilitating condition affecting many people. Currently, there are no FDA-approved treatments. Apremilast is an FDA-approved oral medication used to successfully treat the inflammatory skin disorder psoriasis and the inflammatory disorder psoriatic arthritis. This study examines if apremiliast taken twice daily relieves chronic itch.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Itch
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Apremilast

Detailed Description

There is no FDA-approved medication for chronic idiopathic pruritus (CIP). Apremilast has demonstrated notable activity and is approved for treatment in other pruritic inflammatory skin conditions such as psoriasis. The drug is currently being investigated as therapy for atopic dermatitis. Additionally, the investigators have preliminary data to suggest that apremilast's anti-inflammatory properties may work via neuromodulation targeting neuronal cytokine pathways. The proposed study plans to assess the efficacy of apremilast 30 mg BID in the setting of CIP. Durable response to a medication is typically seen within one to two months of starting an efficacious medication in subjects who respond. Therefore, the investigators have designed this study to end at Week 16 to definitively determine efficacy and conclude the study with confidence with regard to both efficacy and failure.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 10
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Missouri
    • Saint Louis, Missouri, United States, 63108
      • Washington University Division of Dermatology

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:

Key Inclusion Criteria: A subject who meets all of the following criteria may be included in the study:

• Male and non-pregnant, non-lactating female subjects aged 18 years or older
• Diagnosed with chronic idiopathic pruritus (CIP) with an NRS Itch Score of ≥ 7 at both Screening and Baseline
• Diagnosis of CIP for at least 6 weeks prior to screening
• Willingness to avoid pregnancy or fathering of children
• Ability and willingness to provide written informed consent
• Willing and able to comply with all study requirements and restrictions
• Willing to not participate in any other interventional trial for the duration of their participation
• Subjects must be in good health as determined by medical history, physical examination, electrocardiogram, clinical laboratory tests and vital signs
• Failure of a course 2-week course of treatment with topical triamcinolone 0.1% ointment BID
• Histopathological demonstration of skin eosinophils, mast cell activation, lymphocytic infiltration, and/or dermal edema

Exclusion Criteria:

Key Exclusion Criteria: A subject who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from the study:

• Chronic pruritus due to a defined primary dermatologic disorder (e.g., atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, etc.)
• Patients with a prior diagnosis of excoriation disorder
• Use of topical treatments for CIP (other than bland emollients) within 1 week of Baseline
• Systemic immunosuppressive or immunomodulating drugs within 4 weeks of Baseline

• Subjects with cytopenias at screening, defined as:

  • Leukocytes < 3 × 109/L.
  • Neutrophils < lower limit of normal.
  • Lymphocytes < 0.5 × 109/L
  • Hemoglobin < 10 g/dL.
  • Platelets < 100 × 109/L.
• Unwilling or unable to follow medication restrictions described in Section 5.6.3, or unwilling or unable to sufficiently washout from use of restricted medication
• Under medical treatment for a skin disease with a therapy listed in the prohibited medications section that may influence the results of the study
• Current clinically significant cardiovascular, respiratory, neurologic, hepatic, hematopoietic, renal gastrointestinal, endocrine or metabolic dysfunction unless currently controlled and stable, including (but not limited to) the following: Positive for Hepatitis C antibody test (anti-HCF) Positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) or hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) Positive for HIV (DUO test, p24 antigen)
• Active malignancy
• Active substance abuse or history of substance abuse within 6 months of screening
• History (including family history) or current evidence of congenital long QT syndrome or known acquired QT prolongation
• Exposure to any investigational medication, including placebo, within 60 days of the Baseline Visit
• Subjects who had previously received apremilast

• Subjects with severely impaired liver function (Child-Pugh Class C) or end-stage renal disease on dialysis or at least 1 of the following:

  • Serum creatinine > 1.5 mg/dL
  • Alanine aminotransferase or aspartate aminotransferase ≥ 1.5 × upper limit of normal
• Anyone affiliated with the site or sponsor and/or anyone who may consent under duress
• Any other sound medical reason as determined by the Investigator including any condition which may lead to an unfavorable risk-benefit of study participation, may interfere with study compliance or may confound results.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: open label; All participants will receive Apremilast 30 mg BID.	Drug: Apremilast; Apremilast 30 mg BID daily; Other Names: Otezla

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Absolute NRS Itch Score at Week 16 (End of Treatment)	Participants will complete a Numeric Rating Scale for itch (0 representing "no itching" through 10 representing "worst itch imaginable") will be recalled from prior 24 hours and the prior week. 0 is the best score (minimum) and 10 is the worst score (maximum) in terms of clinical outcome. This is an ordinal scale that runs from 0 to 10.	Week 16

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Absolute DLQI at Week 16	Participants will complete a 10 question Dermatology Quality of Life survey at baseline through Week 16 The DLQI is a numerical scale that scores multiple parameters of skin symptoms on a scale from 0 to 30. 0-1 = no effect at all on a patient's life (most favorable clinical outcome and minimum score), 1-5 = small effect on patient's life, 6-10 = moderate effect on patient's life, 11-20 = very large effect on patient's life, 21-30 = extremely large effect on patient's life (worse clinical outcome and maximum score).	Week 16
NRS at Screening, Baseline and Weeks 2,4,8,12,16,and 18	Participants' itch will be measured utilizing the Numeric Rating Scale for itch (0 representing "no itching" through 10 representing "worst itch imaginable") will be recalled from prior 24 hours and the prior week. 0 is the best score (minimum) and 10 is the worst score (maximum) in terms of clinical outcome. This is an ordinal scale that runs from 0 to 10.	Screening through Week 18 (follow up visit)
DLQI at Screening, Baseline, and Weeks 2,4,8,12,16 and 18	Participants will complete a 10 question Dermatology Life Quality Index questionnaire at Screening, Baseline, and Weeks 2,4,8,12,16,18.	Screening through Week 18 (follow up visit)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Washington University School of Medicine
• Collaborators: Celgene Corporation
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Brian S. Kim, MD, Washington University School of Medicine

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 1, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 31, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): September 19, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 28, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 2, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): August 3, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 13, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 23, 2021
• Last Verified: June 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: pruritus; CIP; itch
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Skin Diseases; Skin Manifestations; Pruritus; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Peripheral Nervous System Agents; Enzyme Inhibitors; Analgesics; Sensory System Agents; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Antirheumatic Agents; Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; Phosphodiesterase 4 Inhibitors; Apremilast
• Other Study ID Numbers: CIP-ApremilastCC-10004

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No