MedPath

Emricasan, a Caspase Inhibitor, for Treatment of Subjects With Decompensated NASH Cirrhosis

Phase 2
Conditions
Decompensated Cirrhosis
Interventions
Registration Number
NCT03205345
Lead Sponsor
Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Brief Summary

This is a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of emricasan in improving event-free survival based on a composite clinical endpoint (where all-cause mortality, new decompensation events, and MELD score progression are events) in subjects with decompensated NASH cirrhosis.

Detailed Description

The study treatment duration will be at least 48 weeks with study visits every 4 weeks up to Week 48 and every 8 weeks after Week 48. All subjects will continue treatment until the last subject in the study reaches 48 weeks in the study. At least 30% of subjects randomized should have baseline MELD score ≥15 and ≤20.

For each subject, the study will consist of:

* Screening period of up to 4 weeks

* Randomized, double-blind treatment period of at least 48 weeks

* A follow-up visit 2 weeks after completion of study drug treatment

The duration of each subject's participation will be at least 54 weeks for those completing the entire study.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
210
Inclusion Criteria
  1. Male or female subjects 18 years or older, able to provide written informed consent and able to understand and willing to comply with the requirements of the study.
  2. Cirrhosis due to NASH with exclusion of other causes of cirrhosis (e.g. chronic viral hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, etc.)
  3. At least one of the following: a) history of variceal hemorrhage (more than 3 months prior to day 1) documented on endoscopy and requiring blood transfusion, b) history of at least moderate ascites (on physical exam or imaging) currently treated with diuretics.
  4. MELD score ≥12 and ≤20 during screening
  5. Albumin ≥2.5 g/dL during screening
  6. Serum creatinine ≤1.5 mg/dL during screening

Key

Exclusion Criteria
  1. Evidence of severe decompensation
  2. Non-cirrhotic portal hypertension
  3. Child-Pugh score ≥10
  4. Current use of anticoagulants that affect prothrombin time or international normalized ratio
  5. ALT >3 times upper limit of normal (ULN) or AST >5 times ULN during screening
  6. Initiation or discontinuation of non-selective beta blockers within 1 month of screening
  7. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt or other porto-systemic bypass procedure within 1 year of screening or previously requiring revision
  8. Alpha-fetoprotein >50 ng/mL in the last year
  9. History of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or evidence of HCC
  10. History of malignancies other than HCC, unless successfully treated with curative intent and believed to be cured
  11. Prior liver transplant
  12. Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (HbA1c >9%)
  13. Change in diabetes medications or vitamin E within 3 months of screening
  14. Restrictive bariatric surgery or bariatric device within 1 year of screening or prior malabsorptive bariatric surgery
  15. Symptoms of biliary colic unless resolved following cholecystectomy
  16. History of significant alcohol consumption within the past 5 years
  17. Current use of medications that are considered inhibitors of organic anion transporting polypeptide OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 transporters
  18. Prolongation of screening (pre-treatment) QTcF interval of >500 msecs, or history or presence of clinically concerning cardiac arrhythmias
  19. Significant systemic or major illness other than liver disease
  20. Human immunodeficiency virus infection
  21. Use of alcohol, controlled substances (including inhaled or injected drugs), or non-prescribed use of prescription drugs within 1 year of screening to the point of interfering with the subject's ability to comply with study procedures and study drug administration in the investigator's judgement

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Emricasan (5 mg)Emricasan (5 mg)Emricasan 5mg
PlaceboPlaceboMatching placebo
Emricasan (25 mg)Emricasan (25 mg)Emricasan 25 mg
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Comparison of the effect of emricasan on improving event-free survival relative to placebo, based on a composite clinical endpointBaseline - Final Treatment Visit (at least 48 weeks to a max of 120 weeks)
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Reduction of the proportion of subjects with MELD score progressionBaseline - Final Treatment Visit (at least 48 weeks to a max of 120 weeks)

The effect of emricasan on reducing the proportion of patients with MELD score progression (≥4 point increase at any study visit) relative to placebo

Improvement in health-related quality of life (QOL) as measured by Short Form-36Baseline - Final Treatment Visit (at least 48 weeks to a max of 120 weeks)
Improvement in liver metabolic function as measured by Methacetin Breath Test (MBT)Baseline - Final Treatment Visit (at least 48 weeks to a max of 120 weeks)
Decrease in all-cause and liver specific mortalityBaseline - Final Treatment Visit (at least 48 weeks to a max of 120 weeks)

The effect of emricasan on decreasing all-cause and liver specific mortality relative to placebo

Improvement in MELD scoreBaseline - Final Treatment Visit (at least 48 weeks to a max of 120 weeks)

The effect of emricasan on improving MELD score relative to placebo

Improvement in Child-Pugh scoresBaseline - Final Treatment Visit (at least 48 weeks to a max of 120 weeks)

The effect of emricasan on improving the Child-Pugh score relative to placebo

Decrease in new decompensation eventsBaseline - Final Treatment Visit (at least 48 weeks to a max of 120 weeks)

The effect of emricasan on decreasing new decompensation events relative to placebo

Decrease in liver transplantation ratesBaseline - Final Treatment Visit (at least 48 weeks to a max of 120 weeks)

The effect of emricasan on decreasing liver transplantation rates (in association with MELD score ≥25) relative to placebo

Trial Locations

Locations (75)

Cedars Sinai Medical Center

🇺🇸

Los Angeles, California, United States

Stanford University

🇺🇸

Redwood City, California, United States

Northwestern University

🇺🇸

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Rush University Medical Center

🇺🇸

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Swedish Organ Transplant and Liver Center

🇺🇸

Seattle, Washington, United States

University of Virginia

🇺🇸

Charlottesville, Virginia, United States

Medical University of South Carolina

🇺🇸

Charleston, South Carolina, United States

GHS Gastroenterology and Liver Center

🇺🇸

Greenville, South Carolina, United States

Virginia Commonwealth University

🇺🇸

Richmond, Virginia, United States

Scripps Clinic - Torrey Pines

🇺🇸

San Diego, California, United States

Indiana University

🇺🇸

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Duke University Medical Center

🇺🇸

Durham, North Carolina, United States

American Research Corporation at the Texas Liver Institue

🇺🇸

San Antonio, Texas, United States

Methodist Specialty & Transplant Hospital

🇺🇸

San Antonio, Texas, United States

San Antonio Military Medical Center

🇺🇸

San Antonio, Texas, United States

California Pacific Medical Center

🇺🇸

San Francisco, California, United States

University of California San Francisco

🇺🇸

San Francisco, California, United States

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

🇺🇸

Nashville, Tennessee, United States

University of Utah

🇺🇸

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Ochsner Clinic Foundation

🇺🇸

New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Peak Enterology Associates

🇺🇸

Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States

Mayo Clinic Arizona

🇺🇸

Phoenix, Arizona, United States

St. Joseph's Hospital & Medical Center

🇺🇸

Phoenix, Arizona, United States

University of Colorado Denver

🇺🇸

Aurora, Colorado, United States

Mayo Clinic

🇺🇸

Rochester, Minnesota, United States

Tampa General Hospital

🇺🇸

Tampa, Florida, United States

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC)

🇺🇸

Bethesda, Maryland, United States

University of Arizona Liver Research Institute

🇺🇸

Tucson, Arizona, United States

University of California, San Francisco-Fresno

🇺🇸

Fresno, California, United States

The Institute for Liver Health

🇺🇸

Chandler, Arizona, United States

UC Davis GI/Hepatology Clinical Trials Unit

🇺🇸

Sacramento, California, United States

California Liver Research Institute

🇺🇸

Pasadena, California, United States

UCLA Pfleger Liver Institute

🇺🇸

Los Angeles, California, United States

Inland Empire Liver Foundation

🇺🇸

Rialto, California, United States

West Haven VA Medical Center

🇺🇸

West Haven, Connecticut, United States

UF Hepatology Research at CTRB

🇺🇸

Gainesville, Florida, United States

Florida Research Institute

🇺🇸

Lakewood Ranch, Florida, United States

Florida Hospital Transplant Institute

🇺🇸

Orlando, Florida, United States

Schiff Center for Liver Disease/University of Miami

🇺🇸

Miami, Florida, United States

IMIC Inc.

🇺🇸

Palmetto Bay, Florida, United States

Piedmont Transplant Institute

🇺🇸

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Gastrointestinal Specialists of Georgia

🇺🇸

Marietta, Georgia, United States

Aquiant Research

🇺🇸

Albany, Indiana, United States

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics/ Internal Medicine

🇺🇸

Iowa City, Iowa, United States

Mercy Medical Center

🇺🇸

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Delta Research Partners

🇺🇸

Bastrop, Louisiana, United States

Digestive Disease Associates, PA

🇺🇸

Catonsville, Maryland, United States

Massachusetts General Hospital

🇺🇸

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

🇺🇸

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Kansas City Research Institute

🇺🇸

Kansas City, Missouri, United States

Henry Ford Health System

🇺🇸

Detroit, Michigan, United States

University of Mississippi Medical Center, Division of Digestive Diseases

🇺🇸

Jackson, Mississippi, United States

Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

🇺🇸

Newark, New Jersey, United States

Northwell Health Inc., Sandra Atlas Bass Center for Liver Diseases.

🇺🇸

Manhasset, New York, United States

NYU Medical Center

🇺🇸

New York, New York, United States

University of Rochester Medical Center

🇺🇸

Rochester, New York, United States

Columbia University Medical Center - Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation

🇺🇸

New York, New York, United States

Weill Cornell Medical College

🇺🇸

New York, New York, United States

Carolinas Healthcare System, Center for Liver Disease

🇺🇸

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

Diabetes & Endocrinology Consultants, PC

🇺🇸

Morehead City, North Carolina, United States

UC Health/ UCPC LLC

🇺🇸

Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

Options Health Research, LLC

🇺🇸

Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

🇺🇸

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

ClinSearch, LLC

🇺🇸

Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States

Texas Clinical Research Institute

🇺🇸

Arlington, Texas, United States

Methodist Health System Clinical Research Institute

🇺🇸

Dallas, Texas, United States

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

🇺🇸

Dallas, Texas, United States

Baylor College of Medicine - Advanced Liver Therapies

🇺🇸

Houston, Texas, United States

Liver Associates of Texas, P.A.

🇺🇸

Houston, Texas, United States

Emeritas Research Group LLC

🇺🇸

Leesburg, Virginia, United States

Banner University Medical Center - Phoenix Transplant Institute

🇺🇸

Newport News, Virginia, United States

Bon Secours Liver Institute of Virginia

🇺🇸

Richmond, Virginia, United States

University of Washington Harborview Medical Center

🇺🇸

Seattle, Washington, United States

University of Washington

🇺🇸

Seattle, Washington, United States

Baylor Scott & White Research Institute

🇺🇸

Fort Worth, Texas, United States

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