Treatment Strategies for IgG4-RD Patients With Superficial Organ Involvement

This study has been designed as a 12-month, open-label randomized controlled clinical trial. The study aims to compare the efficacy and safety of two treatment strategies in IgG4-RD patients with superficial organ involvement: prednisone plus iguratimod and prednisone plus leflunomide.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Autoimmune Diseases
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: glucocorticoid plus iguratimod; Drug: glucocorticoid plus leflunomide

Detailed Description

60 IgG4-RD patients with superficial organ involvement are enrolled in this study and randomly divided into two groups at a 1:1 ratio: Patients in Group I are treated with prednisone (≤20 mg qd, or equivalent glucocorticoid, taper to ≤5mg in 3 months) and iguratimod (25 mg bid). Patients in Group II are treated with prednisone (≤20 mg qd, or equivalent glucocorticoid, taper to ≤5mg in 3 months ) and leflunomide (10-20 mg qd).All patients will be followed up for 12 months, and clinical evaluations, laboratory tests, image examinations and IgG4-RD responder index (RI) will be recorded during follow up. The primary endpoint is the difference of relapse rate between two groups at 12 months. The secondary endpoints are relapse time, response rate and side effects.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Yunyun Fei, MD; Phone Number: 01069159953; Email: feiyunyun@pumch.cn

Study Locations

• China
  • Beijing, China
    • Recruiting
    • Peking Union Medical College Hospital
    • Contact: Yunyun Fei, MD; Phone Number: 01069159953; Email: feiyunyun@pumch.cn
    • Principal Investigator: Wen Zhang, MD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 1. Fulfillment of the 2019 American College of Rheumatology/European League against Rheumatology (ACR/EULAR) IgG4-related disease classification criteria; 2. Newly-onset or relapsed patients who requires initiation or continuation of glucocorticoids treatment; 3. The addition of glucocorticoids was started at lower than 10 mg/d.

Exclusion Criteria:

• 1. Patients who were diagnosed as other autoimmune diseases; 2. Patients who were diagnosed as malignant diseases; 3. Pregnant and lactating women； 4. Active infection: HIV, HCV, HBV, TB； 5. Severe irreversible damage of organ function; 6. Receipt of any biologic therapy or immunosuppressive agent other than GCs.

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

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group I; Patients are treated with prednisone (≤20 mg qd, or equivalent glucocorticoid, taper to ≦ 5mg in 3 months) and iguratimod (25 mg bid).	Drug: glucocorticoid plus iguratimod; Patients in Group I are treated with prednisone (≤20 mg qd, or equivalent glucocorticoid, taper to ≦ 5mg in 3 months) and iguratimod (25 mg bid).
Experimental: Group II; Patients are treated with prednisone (≤20 mg qd, or equivalent glucocorticoid, taper to ≦ 5mg in 3 months ) and leflunomide (10-20 mg qd).	Drug: glucocorticoid plus leflunomide; Patients in Group II are treated with prednisone (≤20 mg qd, or equivalent glucocorticoid, taper to ≦ 5mg in 3 months ) and leflunomide (10-20 mg qd).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The difference of relapse rate of IgG4-RD among 2 groups in 12 months.	The definition of relapse: elevation of IgG4-RD Responder Index ≥ 2 points; new organ involvement or recurrence, with or without elevation of serum IgG4 levels.	12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Side effects	Any side effects caused by treatments for IgG4-RD.	12 months
The difference of the time at baseline to first relapse among 2 groups	The difference of relapse time in 2 groups	12 months
The difference of the response rate of the treatment among the 2 groups.	Complete response rate; Partial response rate; No response	12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Peking Union Medical College Hospital
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Wen Zhang, MD, Peking Union Medical College Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 1, 2022
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): April 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 16, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 16, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): March 29, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 7, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 1, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: relapse; leflunomide; treatment strategies; iguratimod; Immunoglobulin G4-Related Disease
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Disease Attributes; Immune System Diseases; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Immunoglobulin G4-Related Disease; Recurrence; Autoimmune Diseases; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Hormones; Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists; Heterocyclic Compounds, 1-Ring; Heterocyclic Compounds; Azoles; Pharmacologic Actions; Chemical Actions and Uses; Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Isoxazoles; Leflunomide; Glucocorticoids; iguratimod
• Other Study ID Numbers: IgG4-RD, superficial organ

Drug and device information, study documents

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