Pilot Study of Swift Microwave Device for Onychomycosis

Pilot Study to Determine the Safety and Efficacy of Regimen Frequencies Using the Swift Microwave Device for Mild to Moderate Toenail Onychomycosis Caused by Dermatophytes

This is an open, single site, pilot study in Canadian subjects diagnosed with mild to moderate toenail onychomycosis caused by dermatophytes. Three microwave treatment frequencies will be compared for efficacy and safety, evaluated by frequency of treatment-related adverse events, clinical improvement of a treated target toenail and inactivation/elimination of fungus in the target toenail. Outcomes will be evaluated at Month 6, Month 9 and Month 12 after initiation of treatments. Subjects not achieving 'temporary increase in clear nail' at Month 6 may receive extra microwave treatments to Month 9 or Month 12 to improve outcomes.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Onychomycosis of Toenail
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Swift Microwave treatment - weekly x 4wks; Device: Swift Microwave treatment - Every other week x 4wks; Device: Swift Microwave treatment - Every other week x 24wks

Detailed Description

This is an open, single site, pilot study in Canadian subjects diagnosed with mild to moderate toenail onychomycosis caused by dermatophytes. A total of 45 subjects will be enrolled in the study. All eligible subjects who provide written informed consent will be randomized to one of three groups (15 subjects in each group): Group A, B or C.

The treatment regimen for each group is as follows:

Group A: Subjects will receive treatment on Day 0 and then weekly in the first month followed by monthly treatment for a further 4 months (9 treatments).

Group B: Subjects will receive treatment on Day 0 and then every two weeks in the first month followed by monthly treatment for a further 4months (7 treatments).

Group C: Subjects will receive treatment on Day 0 and then once every two weeks in the first six months (12 treatments).

For all groups, patients not achieving 'FDA efficacy' levels at Month 6 End Visit and/or Month 9 End Visit will be offered continuation of treatments once monthly for 3 months to determine if additional treatment will continue to be safe and increase efficacy. Patients may refuse additional treatment, while continuing in safety follow-up to Months 9/12.

Subjects will be followed up every 3 months for safety and efficacy to Month 12, and at any treatment intervals occurring between these main visits. Efficacy will be assessed by changes in affected nail area and length, both in clinic and through photos. Mycology sampling will be performed at pre-determined intervals to assess fungal presence and viability post-treatment.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 39
• Phase: Phase 2; Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Ontario
    • London, Ontario, Canada, N5X 2P1
      • Mediprobe Research Inc

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Provide written informed consent.
2. Aged 18 years and above.
3. Not Pregnant or breast feeding.
4. Distal subungual onychomycosis (DSO) in a great toenail.
5. One great toenail as a target for treatment having at least 20% involvement of the nail area and no more than 75% involvement of the nail area.
6. Target toenail thickness 3mm or less.
7. No area of infection < 3mm from the proximal nail fold.
8. Toenail for treatment with fungal infection confirmed by detection of a dermatophyte organism (i.e. Trichophyton rubrum).
9. No more than 4 toenails showing visual signs of onychomycosis, including the target toenail.
10. Subject agrees not to have any oral antifungal treatment or topical onychomycosis treatment during the study.
11. Able to perform study assessments.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Proximal subungual onychomycosis (PSO).
2. Superficial white onychomycosis (SWO).
3. Nail changes that appear as parallel lines, small pinpoint depressions, brown spots, black or brown linear streaks, complete yellowing of all nails without textural change, green debris below the nail or notches in the nail margin ('non-onychomycotic dystrophy').
4. Nails infected by rare fungal species or non-fungal organisms such as mould or bacteria
5. "Spike" of onychomycosis extending to <3mm from the eponychium (proximal nail fold) of the target toenail.
6. Presence of dermatophytoma (defined as thick masses of fungal hyphae and necrotic keratin between the nail plate and nail bed) on the target nail.
7. Patients diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus (types I and II).
8. Peripheral vascular disease.
9. Recurrent cellulitis.
10. Lymphatic insufficiency.
11. Immunocompromised (due to underlying medical disorders or to immunosuppressive treatments).
12. Exhibit an increased risk of bacterial infections due to skin breakdown induced by a fungus
13. Have a current infection or condition of the feet (fungal or otherwise) which may require antifungal or antibacterial treatment during therapy that may confound the study data.
14. Nails for treatment involving the lunula.
15. Co-morbidities including psoriasis, lichen planus or other medical conditions known to induce nail changes.
16. Patients with trauma from ill-fitting shoes, running or overly-aggressive nail care.
17. Subjects that have podiatric/ nursing nail care on a regular basis.
18. Previous target toenail surgery with any residual disfigurement.
19. Nails infected with Candida.
20. Any uncontrolled condition which, in the opinion of the Investigator, may put the subjects at undue risk of adverse effects during the study.
21. Subjects who have had any topical onychomycosis medication for at least 3-months prior to start of treatment or oral antifungal medication at least 6-months prior to study treatment.
22. Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), pacemaker or other implantable device.
23. Metal implants at the site of treatment (within foot or ankle).
24. Severe moccasin tinea pedis.
25. Known allergy or intolerance to microwave therapy.
26. Subject who has had any topical metallic or ionic treatment (e.g, aluminum chloride, silver nitrate) in the target or treated toenail areas within the last 6 months and agrees not to use any during the study.
27. Current participation in a non-observational trial, or have done so within the last 30-days.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group A-Weekly x 4wk; Subjects will receive treatment on Day 0 and then weekly in the first month followed by monthly treatment to Month 6 (9 treatments). Subjects who do not meet the 'temporary increase in clear nail' criteria at Month 6 and/or Month 9 will be offered once monthly treatment for 3 additional months.	Device: Swift Microwave treatment - weekly x 4wks; Swift device set up to 7-9 Watts applied locally for up to a 3 second burst to the toenail. Start at 9 Watts and apply locally for up to a 3 second burst; adjust the dose and duration as is tolerable for the subject. Repeat on the infected parts of the nail as is tolerable for the subjects ( up to 5 repetitions).
Experimental: Group B-Biweekly x4wk; Subjects will receive treatment on Day 0 and then every two weeks in the first month followed by monthly treatment to Month 6 (7 treatments). Subjects who do not meet the 'temporary increase in clear nail' criteria at Month 6 and/or Month 9 will be offered once monthly treatment for 3 additional months.	Device: Swift Microwave treatment - Every other week x 4wks; Swift device set up to 7-9 Watts applied locally for up to a 3 second burst to the toenail. Start at 9 Watts and apply locally for up to a 3 second burst; adjust the dose and duration as is tolerable for the subject. Repeat on the infected parts of the nail as is tolerable for the subjects ( up to 5 repetitions).
Experimental: Group C-Biweekly x 24wks; Subjects will receive treatment on Day 0 and then once every two weeks in the first six months (12 treatments). Subjects who do not meet the 'temporary increase in clear nail' criteria at Month 6 and/or Month 9 will be offered once monthly treatment for 3 additional months.	Device: Swift Microwave treatment - Every other week x 24wks; Swift device set up to 7-9 Watts applied locally for up to a 3 second burst to the toenail. Start at 9 Watts and apply locally for up to a 3 second burst; adjust the dose and duration as is tolerable for the subject. Repeat on the infected parts of the nail as is tolerable for the subjects ( up to 5 repetitions).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of patients able to complete treatment regimen per protocol	Proportion of Patients able to complete therapy as planned, and summary list of treatment-related Adverse Events reported cross-referenced to severity (mild/moderate/severe) and resolution frequency (resolved before further treatment with no sequelae).	Month 6
Proportion of Patients per group with 'Temporary Increase in Clear Nail'	'FDA Efficacy' - regimen meets the FDA definition of 'temporary increase in clear nail' in the Target Toenail: Evidence of nail improvements noted at End of Month 3 using either clear nail increase measured from proximal nail fold, or by increase in clear nail area,AND efficacy at End of Month 6 defined by at least one of the following:; At least 6mm increase in clear nail measured from the proximal nail fold; An additional 60mm2 of clear nail with evidence of outward growth; Complete clearance if less than 6mm distal nail was involved prior to treatment	Month 6

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of patients able to complete Long-term treatment	Proportion of Patients able to complete therapy beyond Month 6, if required, and summary list of treatment-related Adverse Events reported cross-referenced to severity (mild/moderate/severe) and resolution frequency (resolved before further treatment with no sequelae).	Month 12
Proportion of patients achieving End of Month 6 Efficacy	At least one of the following in the Target Toenail: At least 3mm increase in clear nail measured from the proximal nail fold; A 30% increase in area of clear nail, with evidence of outward growth	Month 6
Proportion of patients per group with Mycological Cure	Microscopy negative and culture negative	Month 6, Month 9, Month 12
Proportion of patients per group with Effective Cure	<=10% affected area in target toenail with mycological cure	Month 6, Month 9, Month 12

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Mediprobe Research Inc.
• Collaborators: Emblation Limited
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Aditya Gupta, MD,PhD, Mediprobe Research Inc.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 27, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 8, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): November 8, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 15, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 29, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): January 6, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): November 18, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 14, 2024
• Last Verified: November 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: tinea unguium; dermatophyte
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Infections; Skin Diseases; Bacterial Infections and Mycoses; Skin Diseases, Infectious; Nail Diseases; Mycoses; Dermatomycoses; Tinea; Onychomycosis
• Other Study ID Numbers: FN1p

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: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No