Sequential PD-1 Antibody and Pegylated Interferon Therapy for Nucleos(t)Ide Analogue-suppressed Chronic Hepatitis B

September 2, 2026 updated by: Beijing 302 Hospital

Safety and Efficacy of Sequential Treatment With a PD-1 Antibody and Pegylated Interferon-α in Nucleos(t)Ide Analogue-Suppressed Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B

This is a prospective, multicenter, randomized, open-label controlled clinical trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a sequential treatment strategy incorporating a PD-1 antibody and pegylated interferon-α (Peg-IFNα) in patients with chronic hepatitis B receiving stable nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) therapy.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

A total of 60 participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to an experimental group or a control group. Participants in the experimental group will initially receive a PD-1 antibody in combination with continued NA therapy, followed by a period of triple therapy with the PD-1 antibody, Peg-IFNα, and NAs. The PD-1 antibody will then be discontinued, while Peg-IFNα plus NAs will be continued through Week 48. Participants in the control group will receive Peg-IFNα plus continued NA therapy from baseline through Week 48.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

60

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • China
      • Jinan, China
        • Shandong Public Health Clinical Center
        • Contact:
          • Xiaoying Li
      • Taiyuan, China
        • The Third People's Hospital of Taiyuan
        • Contact:
          • Ying Guo
      • Xi'an, China
        • The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University
        • Contact:
          • Tianyan Chen
      • Xi'an, China
        • The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University
        • Contact:
          • Mei Li

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 1. Aged 18-55 years;
  • 2.Chronic hepatitis B patients with clear diagnosis of hematology, etiology and clinical (for example: HBsAg positive for more than 6 months);
  • 3. Treatment with NAs(ETV, TDF or TAF)at least 1 years and continue NAs therapy during screening;
  • 4.Patients with HBV DNA negative, HBeAg negative, HBsAg quantification ≤ 500IU/ml .

Exclusion Criteria:

  • 1. Cirrhosis;
  • 2.platelet count < 90×10^9/L, WBC count < 3.0×10^9/L, ALT /AST> ULN (40U/L), total bilirubin > 2ULN;
  • 3.History of or suspicion of hepatocellular carcinoma
  • 4.Patients received interferon therapy within 6 months;
  • 5.Patients received immunosuppressive therapy or other therapy influenced study within 6 months;
  • 6.Pregnancy
  • 7.Hepatitis A, hepatitis C, hepatitis D, HIV infection or other active infections;
  • 8.Presence of severe uncontrolled diseases of respiratory, cardiovascular or other organ systems;
  • 9.Alcohol or drug abuse/dependence;
  • 10.Other conditions rendering subjects ineligible for enrollment, including but not limited to absolute contraindications to interferon therapy, known hypersensitivity to any study drug or their excipients, and anticipated poor compliance with treatment and follow-up procedures.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Sequential PD-1 Antibody and Peg-IFNα
Participants will continue background nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy throughout the study. During Weeks 0-12, participants will receive the PD-1 antibody plus NAs. Peg-IFNα will be added at Week 12, resulting in triple therapy with the PD-1 antibody, Peg-IFNα, and NAs during Weeks 12-24. After completion of PD-1 antibody treatment at Week 24, participants will continue Peg-IFNα plus NAs through Week 48.
Drug: Sintilimab
Sintilimab will be administered intravenously at a dose of 1.0 mg/kg at Weeks 0, 6, 12, and 18, for a total of four doses.
Drug: Pegylated Interferon-α 2b

Peg-IFNα will be administered subcutaneously once weekly from Week 12 through Week 48.

Dose: 135 μg or 180 μg, according to the study protocol. When sintilimab and Peg-IFNα are scheduled during the same treatment period, administration of the two drugs will be separated by at least 72 hours.

Drug: Nucleos(t)ide Analogues
Background nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy with entecavir, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, or tenofovir alafenamide will be continued throughout the study.
Other Names:
  • TDF
  • ETV
  • TAF
Drug: Pegylated Interferon-α 2b

Peg-IFNα will be administered subcutaneously once weekly from Week 0 through Week 48.

Dose: 135 μg or 180 μg, according to the study protocol.
Active Comparator: Peg-IFNα
Participants will receive Peg-IFNα in combination with continued background nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy from baseline through Week 48.
Drug: Pegylated Interferon-α 2b

Peg-IFNα will be administered subcutaneously once weekly from Week 12 through Week 48.

Dose: 135 μg or 180 μg, according to the study protocol. When sintilimab and Peg-IFNα are scheduled during the same treatment period, administration of the two drugs will be separated by at least 72 hours.

Drug: Nucleos(t)ide Analogues
Background nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy with entecavir, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, or tenofovir alafenamide will be continued throughout the study.
Other Names:
  • TDF
  • ETV
  • TAF
Drug: Pegylated Interferon-α 2b

Peg-IFNα will be administered subcutaneously once weekly from Week 0 through Week 48.

Dose: 135 μg or 180 μg, according to the study protocol.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
The rate of patients with HBsAg loss at Weeks 24 and 48
Time Frame: 48weeks
48weeks
Incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events/serious adverse events
Time Frame: 48weeks
48weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
The rate of patients with HBsAg decline > 1log(IU/ml) at Weeks 24 and 48
Time Frame: 48 weeks
48 weeks
The rate of patients with HBsAb positive at Weeks 24 and 48.
Time Frame: 48 weeks
48 weeks
The concentration of HBcrAg at baseline, at weeks 12, 24 and 48.
Time Frame: 48 weeks
Evaluate the level of serum HBcrAg at baseline, at weeks 12,24 and 48.
48 weeks
The concentration of pgRNA at baseline, at weeks 12,24 and 48.
Time Frame: 48 weeks
Evaluate the level of serum pgRNA at baseline, at weeks 12,24 and 48.
48 weeks
The concentration of anti-HBc at baseline, at weeks 12,24 and 48.
Time Frame: 48 weeks
Evaluate the level of serum anti-HBc at baseline, at weeks 12,24 and 48.
48 weeks
Frequency and function of peripheral T-lymphocytes assessed by flow cytometry, FluoroSpot and ELISpot, at weeks 12,24 and 48.
Time Frame: 48 weeks
The frequency (unit: percentage of peripheral lymphocytes) and function of peripheral T-lymphocytes will be evaluated using flow cytometry, FluoroSpot, and ELISpot assays.
48 weeks
Frequency and function of peripheral B-lymphocytes assessed by flow cytometry, FluoroSpot and ELISpot,at weeks 12,24 and 48.
Time Frame: 48 Weeks
The frequency (unit: percentage of peripheral lymphocytes) and function of peripheral B-lymphocytes will be evaluated using flow cytometry, FluoroSpot, and ELISpot assays.
48 Weeks
Frequency and function of peripheral NK-lymphocytes assessed by flow cytometry, FluoroSpot and ELISpot at weeks 12,24 and 48.
Time Frame: 48 weeks
The frequency (unit: percentage of peripheral lymphocytes) and function of peripheral NK-lymphocytes will be evaluated using flow cytometry.
48 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Beijing 302 Hospital

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Junliang Fu, Beijing 302 Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 25, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 2, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 2, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • KY-2026-7-122-2

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

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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