Performance, Safety and Participant Satisfaction Regarding A-CERUMEN® Medical Devices Used for the Removal of Earwax. (EAR)

Post-Market Clinical Follow-Up to Assess the Performance, Safety and Participant Satisfaction Regarding A-CERUMEN® Medical Devices Used for the Removal of Earwax.

The ear canal - or external auditory meatus - is lined with skin that contains ceruminous glands. Cerumen - or earwax - is a combination of epithelial cells, dust, foreign bodies, as well as the secretions of the sebaceous glands and apocrine glands. Cerumen is part of the external ear defense mechanisms against foreign bodies and infectious agents, lubricating and cleaning the ear canal. Cerumen production is a normal and protective process for the ear canal. Cerumen is naturally removed through the renewal of the skin in the external auditory meatus, and through the chewing movements of the jaw. Nonetheless, earwax plug - defined as an accumulation of cerumen - is a frequent occurrence across all age groups, with notably higher rates in vulnerable populations. Causes of earwax plug comprise attempts to remove wax, as well as ear canal deformity. It also has been suggested that ear cleaning with cotton buds, particularly when the external ear canal is wet, might be one of the important causes of cerumen impaction. Earwax plug leads to hearing loss that is easily treatable but can have significant cognitive and social consequences. They can also delay the diagnosis of certain ear conditions, such as ear infections, which can lead to medical complications and have economic implications. Effective treatment options for earwax plug include cerumenolytic agents (water-based agents, oil-based agents, surfactant-based agents), irrigation with or without cerumenolytic pre-treatment, and manual removal. Inappropriate treatment options include cotton-tipped swabs, ear candling, olive oil drops or sprays, and non-chewing diets. A-CERUMEN® devices correspond to cerumenolytic agents' products composed of surfactant-based agents. Although all the available data points towards a good performance and safety profile of the devices under evaluation, the clinical data surrounding the devices under evaluation is based on only one or two studies and there is currently no data available on A-CERUMEN® devices for the pediatric patient population, or on pregnant and breastfeeding women. To address this gap, LABORATOIRES GILBERT plans in the Clinical Evaluation Report (CER) a confirmatory clinical trial to collect further data in the adult population and data in the pediatric population, pregnant and breastfeeding women for the devices under evaluation. The Instructions for Use (IFU) should be updated in accordance with the findings of this study. In this context, LABORATOIRES GILBERT promotes a Post-Market Clinical Follow-Up (PMCF) study to assess independently performance, safety and patient satisfaction of A-CERUMEN® Spray and A-CERUMEN® Unidose devices. This PMCF study must include pediatric population and pregnant/breastfeeding women.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Cerumen Impaction; Earwax Impaction; Earwax Plug
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Unidose cerumenolytic solution; Device: Spray cerumenolytic solution

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 80
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Ophélie FLAGEUL; Phone Number: +33(0)223061113; Email: o.flageul@slbpharma.com
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Vinciane DUMAY; Phone Number: +33(0)223061113; Email: v.dumay@slbpharma.com

Study Locations

• France
  • Amiens, France, 80054
    • CHU Amiens Picardie
    • Contact: Sandrine Soriot-Thomas, Dr; Phone Number: +33(0)3 22 08 79 97; Email: Soriot-Thomas.Sandrine@chu-amiens.fr
    • Principal Investigator: Sandrine Soriot-Thomas, Dr
  • Brest, France, 29609
    • CHU de Brest - Hôpital Morvan
    • Contact: Rémi Marianowski, Pr; Phone Number: +33(0)2 98 22 35 51; Email: remi.marianowski@chu-brest.fr
    • Principal Investigator: Rémi Marianowski, Pr
    • Sub-Investigator: Jean-Christophe Leclere, Dr
  • Clermont-Ferrand, France, 63000
    • Hôpital Gabriel-Montpied
    • Contact: Gisèle Pickering, Pr; Phone Number: +33(0)4 73 17 84 18; Email: gisele.pickering@uca.fr
    • Sub-Investigator: Elise Sortais, Dr
    • Sub-Investigator: Christian Jean Dualé, Dr
    • Principal Investigator: Gisèle Pickering, Pr

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 3 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Adults (including pregnant and breastfeeding women) or children aged 3 years and older, in accordance with the IFU;
2. Presence of earwax excess or an earwax plug in the external ear canal (only one ear included even if both are affected), confirmed by a score ≥2 according to the obstruction scale and without damage to the eardrum.
3. Subject willing and able to comply with the study requirements throughout the study period (and the parent for the child), including returning for a follow-up visit at the study site between Day 5 and Day 7.
4. Subject having daily access to internet to complete the online questionnaires.
5. Subject able to understand verbal and written local language and in capacity to fill-in questionnaire by himself (or the parent for child).
6. Subject who has been informed and has signed the informed consent form (or the parent for the child).
7. Subject enrolled in a social security program (Art. L1121-8-1 of the CSP).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Contraindications specified in each device's instructions for use:

   • In case of history of a damaged or perforated eardrum1,
   • In case of otitis,
   • subject with tympanostomy tubes (also called grommets) at the time of inclusion,
   • In case of damaged skin of the ear canal.

2. Known hypersensitivity or allergy to any of the investigational device's components.

3. History of ear infection (suppurative otitis media, otitis interna, mastoiditis) within the 2 months prior to enrollment, or an otitis externa within the 2 weeks prior to enrollment.

4. Severe inner ear disorders or non-infectious ear conditions that may compromise participant safety, at the investigator's discretion.

5. For the ear assessed in the study: Use within 5 days prior to inclusion of an ear solution containing solvents that act on earwax and may have a prolonged effect.

6. For the ear assessed in the study: Use of A-CERUMEN® device (whatever the form) within 5 days prior to inclusion.

7. Participation in another clinical trial or currently in the exclusion period of another clinical trial.

8. Previous participation in this study.

9. Presence of a condition or abnormality (social or psychological disorders, anticipated poor compliance, or inability to communicate) or use of a medication by the subject that, in the investigator's opinion, would compromise the subject's safety or the quality of the data; or that would prevent compliance with follow-up requirements.

10. Vulnerable subject, with the exception of minors over 3 years of age and pregnant and breastfeeding women listed in inclusion criterion No. 1, pursuant to Articles 64, 66 of Regulation (EU) 2017/745 on medical devices and Articles L.1121-5, L.1121-6, L.1121-8 of the Public Health Code (France):

    • Parturient women,
    • Subject deprived of liberty, hospitalized without consent, or admitted to a health or social care facility for purposes other than research,
    • Adults under protective supervision (guardianship, curatorship).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: A-CERUMEN® unidose; External ear cleaning solution in unidose container. Physiodose® will be used as rinsing solution after A-CERUMEN unidose application.	Device: Unidose cerumenolytic solution; A-CERUMEN® unidose with Physiodose® (as rinsing agent) for earwax excess removal during 4 days (8 applications); Other Names: A-CERUMEN® unidose
Experimental: A-CERUMEN® spray; External ear cleaning solution, auricular spray. Physiodose® will be used as rinsing solution after A-CERUMEN spray application.	Device: Spray cerumenolytic solution; A-CERUMEN® spray with Physiodose® (as rinsing agent) for earwax excess removal during 4 days (8 applications); Other Names: A-CERUMEN® spray

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Extent of earwax clearance using A-CERUMEN® Spray	The primary outcome is the change in ear canal obstruction score measured before and after treatment, assessed by a blinded investigator using photographs of the ear canal. Ear canal obstruction is evaluated using a 5-point ear canal obstruction scale ranging from 0 (no obstruction, 0-2% of eardrum obscured) to 4 (severe obstruction, 76-100% of eardrum obscured). Higher scores indicate a worse outcome (greater obstruction).	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 5-7 days
Extent of earwax clearance using A-CERUMEN® Unidose	The primary outcome is the change in ear canal obstruction score measured before and after treatment, assessed by a blinded investigator using photographs of the ear canal. Ear canal obstruction is evaluated using a 5-point ear canal obstruction scale ranging from 0 (no obstruction, 0-2% of eardrum obscured) to 4 (severe obstruction, 76-100% of eardrum obscured). Higher scores indicate a worse outcome (greater obstruction).	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 5-7days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Percentage of participants with complete earwax clearance using A-CERUMEN® Spray	Percentage of participants (or ears) achieving complete clearance of earwax, defined as an ear canal obstruction score of 0 after treatment, assessed by a blinded investigator based on photographs of the ear canal.	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 5-7days
Percentage of participants with at least one grade reduction in obstruction score using A-CERUMEN® Spray	Percentage of participants (or ears) with a reduction of at least one grade in the ear canal obstruction score, assessed by a blinded investigator based on photographs of the ear canal.	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 5-7 days
Percentage of participants with complete earwax clearance using A-CERUMEN® Unidose	Percentage of participants (or ears) achieving complete clearance of earwax, defined as an ear canal obstruction score of 0 after treatment, assessed by a blinded investigator based on photographs of the ear canal.	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 5-7days
Percentage of participants with at least one grade reduction in obstruction score using A-CERUMEN® Unidose	Percentage of participants (or ears) with a reduction of at least one grade in the ear canal obstruction score, assessed by a blinded investigator based on photographs of the ear canal.	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 5-7 days
Number of adverse device events using A-CERUMEN® Spray	Total number of adverse device events (ADEs) reported during the study period.	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 5-7days
Number of device deficiencies using A-CERUMEN® Spray	Total number of device deficiencies (DDs) reported during the study period.	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 5-7 days
Percentage of participants with at least one adverse device event using A-CERUMEN® Spray	Percentage of participants who experienced at least one adverse device event (ADE) during the study period.	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 5-7 days
Number of adverse device events using A-CERUMEN® Unidose	Total number of adverse device events (ADEs) reported during the study period.	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 5-7days
Number of device deficiencies using A-CERUMEN® Unidose	Total number of device deficiencies (DDs) reported during the study period.	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 5-7 days
Percentage of participants with at least one adverse device event using A-CERUMEN® Unidose	Percentage of participants who experienced at least one adverse device event (ADE) during the study period.	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 5-7 days
Daily change in earwax-related symptom intensity using A-CERUMEN® Spray	Daily change in the intensity of earwax-related symptoms (irritation, clogged sensation, ringing/tinnitus, hearing loss, itching, pain, tingling, swelling) in participants who were symptomatic at inclusion. Evaluated using an 11-point numeric rating scale ranging from 0 (absence of symptom) to 10 (very intense symptom). Higher scores indicate a worse outcome (greater symptom intensity).	Daily from enrollment to the end of treatment at 5-7days
Percentage of participants with earwax symptom relief after using A-CERUMEN® Spray	Percentage of participants reporting relief of earwax-related symptoms at the end of treatment.	At the end of treatment (5-7 days)
Percentage of participants requiring further intervention for earwax removal after using A-CERUMEN® Spray	Percentage of participants requiring an additional medical or mechanical intervention to remove earwax after treatment with A-CERUMEN®.	At the end of treatment (5-7 days)
Daily change in earwax-related symptom intensity using A-CERUMEN® Unidose	Daily change in the intensity of earwax-related symptoms (irritation, clogged sensation, ringing/tinnitus, hearing loss, itching, pain, tingling, swelling) in participants who were symptomatic at inclusion. Evaluated using an 11-point numeric rating scale ranging from 0 (absence of symptom) to 10 (very intense symptom). Higher scores indicate a worse outcome (greater symptom intensity).	Daily from enrollment to the end of treatment at 5-7 days
Percentage of participants with earwax symptom relief after using A-CERUMEN® Unidose	Percentage of participants reporting relief of earwax-related symptoms at the end of treatment.	At the end of treatment (5-7 days)
Percentage of participants requiring further intervention for earwax removal after using A-CERUMEN® Unidose	Percentage of participants requiring an additional medical or mechanical intervention to remove earwax after treatment with A-CERUMEN®.	At the end of treatment (5-7 days)
Overall participant satisfaction with A-CERUMEN® Spray	Overall participant (or parent) satisfaction regarding the treatment, assessed via the ePRO satisfaction questionnaire. Evaluated using an 11-point numeric rating scale ranging from 0 (not at all satisfied) to 10 (totally satisfied). Higher scores indicate a better outcome (greater satisfaction).	At the end of treatment or no later than Visit 2 (up to 7 days)
Ease of use and handling of A-CERUMEN® Spray and flushing method	Participant (or parent) reported ease of handling, flushing effectiveness, and flushing practicality, assessed via the ePRO satisfaction questionnaire. Evaluated using 5-point Likert scales ranging from 1 (very difficult/poor) to 5 (very easy/good). Higher scores indicate a better outcome (greater ease/effectiveness/convenience).	At the end of treatment or no later than Visit 2 (up to 7 days)
Percentage of participants willing to reuse A-CERUMEN® Spray	Percentage of participants (or parents) reporting they would reuse the product in case of earwax plugs, assessed via a binary question (yes/no) in the ePRO satisfaction questionnaire.	At the end of treatment or no later than Visit 2 (up to 7 days)
Overall participant satisfaction with A-CERUMEN® Unidose	Overall participant (or parent) satisfaction regarding the treatment, assessed via the ePRO satisfaction questionnaire. Evaluated using an 11-point numeric rating scale ranging from 0 (not at all satisfied) to 10 (totally satisfied). Higher scores indicate a better outcome (greater satisfaction).	At the end of treatment or no later than Visit 2 (up to 7 days)
Ease of use and handling of A-CERUMEN® Unidose and flushing method	Participant (or parent) reported ease of handling, flushing effectiveness, and flushing practicality, assessed via the ePRO satisfaction questionnaire. Evaluated using 5-point Likert scales ranging from 1 (very difficult/poor) to 5 (very easy/good). Higher scores indicate a better outcome (greater ease/effectiveness/convenience).	At the end of treatment or no later than Visit 2 (up to 7 days)
Percentage of participants willing to reuse A-CERUMEN® Unidose	Percentage of participants (or parents) reporting they would reuse the product in case of earwax plugs, assessed via a binary question (yes/no) in the ePRO satisfaction questionnaire.	At the end of treatment or no later than Visit 2 (up to 7 days)
Adherence to A-CERUMEN® Spray treatment	Number of A-CERUMEN® Spray applications administered during the treatment period (recommended usage: 2 applications per day for 4 days; target total: 8 applications).	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 5-7 days
Adherence to A-CERUMEN® Unidose treatment	Number of A-CERUMEN® Single-dose applications administered during the treatment period (recommended usage: 2 applications per day for 4 days; target total: 8 applications).	From the enrollment to the end of treatment at 5-7 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Laboratoires Gilbert
• Collaborators: Slb Pharma
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Marc Henocq, Dr

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): October 15, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 22, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 22, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 10, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 16, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): September 22, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 25, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 22, 2026
• Last Verified: September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: earwax; earwax plug; cerumen
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2026-A00953-48

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

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

IPD Plan Description

No individual participant data sharing is planned.

Drug and device information, study documents

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