A Trial of Bardoxolone Methyl in Patients With CKD at Risk of Rapid Progression (MERLIN) (MERLIN)

A Phase 2 Trial to Evaluate Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Bardoxolone Methyl in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease at Risk of Rapid Progression

This multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase 2 trial will study the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of bardoxolone methyl in qualified patients with CKD due to multiple etiologies at risk of rapid disease progression. Approximately 70 patients will be enrolled and randomized 1:1 to either bardoxolone methyl or placebo. Patients with CKD secondary to varying etiologies will be enrolled from age 18-70 years with eGFR ≥ 20 to < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2, and other risk factors for rapid progression of kidney disease.

The maximum target dose will be determined by baseline proteinuria status. Patients with baseline urine albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR) ≤ 300 mg/g will be titrated to a maximum dose of 20 mg, and patients with baseline UACR > 300 mg/g will be titrated to a maximum dose of 30 mg. Qualified patients will be randomized 1:1 to receive either bardoxolone methyl or placebo once daily (preferably in the morning) throughout a 12-week dosing period.

Patients in the study will follow the same visit and assessment schedule. Patients will be assessed during treatment at Day 1, Weeks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 and by telephone contact on Days 3, 10, 21, 31, 35, and 45. Date of last dose and the end-of-treatment assessments mark the end of the treatment period. Patients will not receive study drug during a 5-week off-treatment period between Weeks 12 and 17. The off-treatment (OT) period includes 5 visits requiring various assessments to characterize eGFR from the time of study drug discontinuation through Day 35 off-treatment.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Chronic Kidney Diseases
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Placebo oral capsule; Drug: Bardoxolone methyl oral capsule

Detailed Description

Study Sponsor, originally Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is now Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Biogen.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 81
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • La Mesa, California, United States, 91942
      • California Institute of Renal Research
  • Colorado
    • Arvada, Colorado, United States, 80002
      • Western Nephrology
    • Denver, Colorado, United States, 80230
      • Colorado Kidney Care
  • Idaho
    • Nampa, Idaho, United States, 83687
      • Boise Kidney & Hypertension, PLLC
  • Louisiana
    • Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States, 70808
      • Renal Associates of Baton Rouge
  • Michigan
    • Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States, 49007
      • Nephrology Center, PC
  • Nevada
    • Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, 89128
      • DaVita Clinical Research
  • South Carolina
    • Columbia, South Carolina, United States, 29203
      • Columbia Nephrology Associates, PA
  • Texas
    • Dallas, Texas, United States, 75235
      • Renal Disease Research Intitute
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77004
      • DaVita Clinical Research
    • McAllen, Texas, United States, 78503
      • Gamma Medical Research Inc
    • San Antonio, Texas, United States, 78212
      • Clinical Advancement Center, PLLC

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of CKD with screening eGFR (average of Screen A and Screen B eGFR values) ≥ 20 to < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2

• Patient must meet at least one of the following criteria:

  1. UACR ≥ 300 mg/g; OR
  2. eGFR decline at a rate of ≥ 4 mL/min/1.73 m2 in prior year; OR
  3. Hematuria defined as > 5-10 red blood cells (RBCs) per high power field (HPF, manual method), or documented history of positive urinary dipstick for blood in prior year, or macroscopic hematuria in prior 3 years;
• Systolic blood pressure ≤ 150 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure ≤ 90 mmHg at Screen A visit after a period of rest (≥ 5 minutes);
• Treatment with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) and/or an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) at the maximally tolerated labeled daily dose for at least 6 weeks prior to the Screen A visit and with no anticipated changes to dose(s) during study participation.
• Able to swallow capsules -

Exclusion Criteria:

• Prior exposure to bardoxolone methyl;

• CKD secondary to or associated with any of the following:

  1. History of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN)
  2. Glomerulonephritis requiring immunosuppression in the last 6 months prior to Screen A;
• Concomitant use of tolvaptan.
• Systemic immunosuppression for more than 2 weeks, cumulatively, within the 12 weeks prior to Day 1 or anticipated need for immunosuppression during the study;
• Patients currently taking a sodium/glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i), requiring dose adjustments within 12 weeks prior to Day 1 or if dose is anticipated to change during study participation;
• B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) level > 200 pg/mL at Screen A visit;
• Uncontrolled diabetes (HbA1c > 11.0%) at Screen A visit;
• Serum albumin < 3 g/dL at Screen A visit;
• Kidney or any other solid organ transplant recipient or a planned transplant during the study;
• Acute dialysis or acute kidney injury within 12 weeks prior to Screen A visit or during Screening;
• History of clinically significant cardiac disease;
• Systolic blood pressure < 90 mmHg at Screen A visit after a period of rest;
• Body mass index < 18.5 kg/m2 at the Screen A visit;
• History of malignancy within 5 years prior to Screen A visit, with the exception of localized skin or cervical carcinomas;
• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) diagnosis within 3 months prior to Screen A or have ever required COVID-19 related hospitalization;
• Participation in other interventional clinical studies within 3 months (or if relevant 5 half-lives of that study medication, whichever is the longer) prior to Screen B;
• Unwilling to practice acceptable methods of birth control;
• Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Bardoxolone methyl; Patients randomized to receive bardoxolone methyl capsules orally once daily for 12 weeks at a starting dose of 5 mg and titrated up to a maximal dose of 20 mg (participants with UACR less than or equal to 300 mg/g) or 30 mg (participants with UACR greater than 300 mg/g) Patients will be scheduled to be assessed during treatment at Day 1, Weeks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 and by telephone contact on Days 3, 10, 21, 31, 35, and 45. Patients will not receive any drug during a 5-week off-treatment period between Weeks 12 and 17. Patients will be assessed on Day 3 off-treatment (OT), Day 7 OT, Day 14 OT, Day 21 OT, Day 28 OT, and Day 35 OT. The OT day corresponds to days after last dose. Patients will be assessed at and end-of-study (EOS) visit on Week 17.	Drug: Bardoxolone methyl oral capsule; Bardoxolone methyl capsules dose escalated from 5 mg to a maximum of 20 or 30 mg, depending on baseline proteinuria status; Other Names: RTA 402
Placebo Comparator: Placebo; Patients who received placebo, once-daily, orally, remained on placebo throughout the study duration of 12 weeks and followed the same titration to maintain the blind, Patients will be scheduled to be assessed during treatment at Day 1, Weeks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 and by telephone contact on Days 3, 10, 21, 31, 35, and 45. Patients will not receive any drug during a 5-week off-treatment period between Weeks 12 and 17. Patients will be assessed on Day 3 off-treatment (OT), Day 7 OT, Day 14 OT, Day 21 OT, Day 28 OT, and Day 35 OT. The OT day corresponds to days after last dose. Patients will be assessed at and end-of-study (EOS) visit on Week 17.	Drug: Placebo oral capsule; Capsule containing an inert placebo

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change From Baseline in Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) at Week 12	To assess the change in eGFR from baseline to week 12. eGFR is a measure of kidney function assessed through blood/serum. Higher eGFRs represent better/improved kidney function. Lower eGFRs represent poorer/decreased kidney function.	Baseline through 12 weeks after participant receives the first dose

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Reata, a wholly owned subsidiary of Biogen

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 9, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 20, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): November 23, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 7, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 7, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): January 11, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 5, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 1, 2024
• Last Verified: February 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Chronic Kidney Disease; eGFR; RTA 402; Bardoxolone methyl; Advanced CKD; Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Urologic Diseases; Disease Attributes; Renal Insufficiency; Chronic Disease; Female Urogenital Diseases; Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications; Urogenital Diseases; Male Urogenital Diseases; Kidney Diseases; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic
• Other Study ID Numbers: 402-C-2002

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: In accordance with Biogen's Clinical Trial Transparency and Data Sharing Policy on https://www.biogentrialtransparency.com/

Drug and device information, study documents

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