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Study to Evaluate EP547 in Subjects With Cholestatic Pruritus Due to Primary Biliary Cholangitis or Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis

Phase 2
Completed
Conditions
Pruritus
Interventions
Drug: Placebo
Registration Number
NCT05525520
Lead Sponsor
Escient Pharmaceuticals, Inc
Brief Summary

This phase 2 trial will evaluate the effects of EP547 in subjects with cholestatic pruritus due to Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) or Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC)

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
62
Inclusion Criteria
  • Age 18 to 80 years
  • Documented primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) or primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)
  • Presence of consistent moderate to severe pruritus
  • Use of anti-pruritic and anti-cholestatic (including UDCA and obeticholic acid) medication allowed if meeting additional criteria
  • Individuals with concomitant inflammatory bowel disease must meet additional relevant criteria
Exclusion Criteria
  • Pruritus associated with an etiology other than PBC or PSC
  • Prior or planned liver transplantation
  • Evidence of compensated or decompensated cirrhosis
  • Alternative causes of liver disease
  • Presence of documented secondary sclerosing cholangitis
  • Current evidence of clinically significant high-grade strictures or presence of biliary stent
  • History of significant small bowel resection or short bowel syndrome
  • Has exclusionary laboratory or biochemical results at Screening

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
EP547 100 mgEP547-
PlaceboPlacebo-
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change From Baseline in the Worst Itch Numeric Rating Scale (WI-NRS) Score up to Week 6Baseline; up to Week 6

Participants were asked to rate the severity of their worst level of itching in the past 24 hours using the daily WI-NRS, an 11-point scale ranging from 0 (no itching) to 10 (worst itching imaginable). Itching severity scores collected via the WI-NRS have been categorized in the as mild (\<4), moderate (≥4 to \<7), or severe (≥7). The average WI-NRS score using the daily values from the week before the first dose of study drug (including the WI-NRS score captured on Study Day 1 of dosing) served as the Baseline score. A weekly score was determined based on the average of all available daily scores of the week. Change from Baseline was calculated as the post-Baseline score minus the Baseline score.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change From Baseline in the 5-D Itch Scale Total Score at Week 6Baseline; Week 6

The 5-D Itch Scale is a multidimensional (degree, duration, direction, disability, and distribution) questionnaire measuring changes in pruritis. The duration, degree, and direction domain scores range from 1 (no pruritus) to 5 (most severe pruritus). The disability domain includes 4 items assessing itching impact on daily activities: sleep, leisure/social activities, housework/errands, and work/school. Disability domain score=highest score on any of the 4 categories (1 \[no pruritis\] to 5 \[most severe pruritis\]). For the distribution domain, 16 body parts are listed to determine the distribution of itching over the last 2 weeks; the number of affected body parts is tallied (potential sum=0-16); the sum is sorted into 5 thresholds: 0-2 is assigned a score of 1; 3-5, a score of 2; 6-10, a score of 3; 11-13, a score of 4; 14-16, a score of 5. Higher scores indicate more severe pruritis. The 5 domain scores are summed to get a total 5-D score: 5 (no pruritus) to 25 (most severe pruritus).

Percentage of Participants With Improvement in Pruritus as Defined by Patient Global Impression of Change (PGI-C) at Week 6Baseline; Week 6

Participants were asked to rate their impression of overall change in pruritus in the past 7 days compared to before they started taking study drug using the PGI-C, a 7-point scale ranging from "much improved" to "much worse," with higher scores indicating less improvement in pruritus. Participants that reported a change in their itch of "minimally improved" or better were considered to be responders in terms of "improvement in pruritus."

Percentage of Participants With Improvement in Pruritus Severity From Baseline as Defined by Change in Patient Global Impress of Severity (PGI-S) at Week 6Baseline; Week 6

Participants were asked to rate the severity of their pruritus in the past 7 days using the PGI-S, a 4-point scale ranging from "none" to "severe." Participants that reported a positive shift in their categorical assessment of itch compared to their Baseline level (e.g., "severe" at Visit 2 \[Day 1\] with a shift to "moderate" at Visit 6 \[Week 6\]) were considered to be responders in terms of "improvement in pruritus."

Percentage of Participants With a Reduction in WI-NRS Score ≥2 From Baseline at Week 6Baseline; Week 6

Participants were asked to rate the severity of their worst level of itching in the past 24 hours using the daily WI-NRS, an 11-point scale ranging from 0 (no itching) to 10 (worst itching imaginable). Itching severity scores collected via the WI-NRS have been categorized in the as mild (\<4), moderate (≥4 to \<7), or severe (≥7). The average WI-NRS score using the daily values from the week before the first dose of study drug (including the WI-NRS score captured on Study Day 1 of dosing) served as the Baseline score. A weekly score was determined based on the average of all available daily scores of the week.

Percentage of Participants With a Reduction in WI-NRS Score ≥3 From Baseline at Week 6Baseline; Week 6

Participants were asked to rate the severity of their worst level of itching in the past 24 hours using the daily WI-NRS, an 11-point scale ranging from 0 (no itching) to 10 (worst itching imaginable). Itching severity scores collected via the WI-NRS have been categorized in the as mild (\<4), moderate (≥4 to \<7), or severe (≥7). The average WI-NRS score using the daily values from the week before the first dose of study drug (including the WI-NRS score captured on Study Day 1 of dosing) served as the Baseline score. A weekly score was determined based on the average of all available daily scores of the week.

Percentage of Participants With a Reduction in WI-NRS Score ≥4 From Baseline at Week 6Baseline; Week 6

Participants were asked to rate the severity of their worst level of itching in the past 24 hours using the daily WI-NRS, an 11-point scale ranging from 0 (no itching) to 10 (worst itching imaginable). Itching severity scores collected via the WI-NRS have been categorized in the as mild (\<4), moderate (≥4 to \<7), or severe (≥7). The average WI-NRS score using the daily values from the week before the first dose of study drug (including the WI-NRS score captured on Study Day 1 of dosing) served as the Baseline score. A weekly score was determined based on the average of all available daily scores of the week.

Percentage of Participants With a WI-NRS Score <4 at Week 6Baseline; Week 6

Participants were asked to rate the severity of their worst level of itching in the past 24 hours using the daily WI-NRS, an 11-point scale ranging from 0 (no itching) to 10 (worst itching imaginable). Itching severity scores collected via the WI-NRS have been categorized in the as mild (\<4), moderate (≥4 to \<7), or severe (≥7). The average WI-NRS score using the daily values from the week before the first dose of study drug (including the WI-NRS score captured on Study Day 1 of dosing) served as the Baseline score. A weekly score was determined based on the average of all available daily scores of the week.

Double-blind Treatment Period: Number of Participants With Any Treatment-emergent Adverse Event (TEAE), Any ≥Grade 3 TEAE, Any Related TEAE, and Any TEAE That Led to Discontinuation of Study Drugup to the end of Week 6

An adverse event (AE) is any untoward medical occurrence in a participant administered a pharmaceutical product and that does not necessarily have a causal relationship with this treatment. An AE can therefore be any unfavorable or unintended sign (including a clinically significant abnormal laboratory finding), symptom, or disease temporally associated with the use of a medicinal (investigational) product. TEAEs are AEs with an onset after the first dose of study drug or existing events that worsened after the first dose during the study. TEAEs were graded for severity (mild \[Grade 1\], moderate \[Grade 2\], severe \[Grade 3\], life threatening \[Grade 4\], death \[Grade 5\]) using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), version 5.0. The investigator assessed whether the TEAEs were related or unrelated to the study drug.

Open-label Extension Period: Number of Participants With Any TEAE, Any ≥Grade 3 TEAE, Any Related TEAE, and Any TEAE That Led to Discontinuation of Study Drugfrom the beginning of Week 7 up to Week 12

An AE is any untoward medical occurrence in a participant administered a pharmaceutical product and that does not necessarily have a causal relationship with this treatment. An AE can therefore be any unfavorable or unintended sign (including a clinically significant abnormal laboratory finding), symptom, or disease temporally associated with the use of a medicinal (investigational) product. TEAEs are AEs with an onset after the first dose of study drug or existing events that worsened after the first dose during the study. TEAEs were graded for severity (mild \[Grade 1\], moderate \[Grade 2\], severe \[Grade 3\], life threatening \[Grade 4\], death \[Grade 5\]) using CTCAE, version 5.0. The investigator assessed whether the TEAEs were related or unrelated to the study drug.

Double-blind Treatment Period: Number of Participants With Any Serious TEAE, Any ≥Grade 3 Serious TEAE, Any Related Serious TEAE, and Any Serious TEAE That Led to Discontinuation of Study Drugup to the end of Week 6

TEAEs are AEs with an onset after the first dose of study drug or existing events that worsened after the first dose during the study. A serious TEAE is any untoward medical occurrence, that at any dose: results in death; is life threatening; requires hospital admission or prolongs hospitalization; results in persistent or significant disability or incapacity; is a congenital anomaly/birth defect; or is a medically significant event that, based on appropriate medical judgment, may jeopardize the participant and may require medical or surgical intervention to prevent one of the previously listed outcomes. Serious TEAEs were graded for severity (mild \[Grade 1\], moderate \[Grade 2\], severe \[Grade 3\], life threatening \[Grade 4\], death \[Grade 5\]) using CTCAE, version 5.0. The investigator assessed whether the serious TEAEs were related or unrelated to the study drug.

Open-label Extension Period: Number of Participants With Any Serious TEAE, Any ≥Grade 3 Serious TEAE, Any Related Serious TEAE, and Any Serious TEAE That Led to Discontinuation of Study Drugfrom the beginning of Week 7 up to Week 12

TEAEs are AEs with an onset after the first dose of study drug or existing events that worsened after the first dose during the study. A serious TEAE is any untoward medical occurrence, that at any dose: results in death; is life threatening; requires hospital admission or prolongs hospitalization; results in persistent or significant disability or incapacity; is a congenital anomaly/birth defect; or is a medically significant event that, based on appropriate medical judgment, may jeopardize the participant and may require medical or surgical intervention to prevent one of the previously listed outcomes. Serious TEAEs were graded for severity (mild \[Grade 1\], moderate \[Grade 2\], severe \[Grade 3\], life threatening \[Grade 4\], death \[Grade 5\]) using CTCAE, version 5.0. The investigator assessed whether the serious TEAEs were related or unrelated to the study drug.

Double-blind Treatment Period: Number of Participants With Any Treatment-emergent (TE) Adverse Event of Special Interest (AESI), Any ≥Grade 3 TE AESI, Any Related TE AESI, and Any TE AESI That Led to Discontinuation of Study Drugup to the end of Week 6

An AE is any untoward medical occurrence in a participant administered a pharmaceutical product and that does not necessarily have a causal relationship with this treatment. TEAEs are AEs with an onset after the first dose of study drug or existing events that worsened after the first dose during the study. AESI were considered to be any clinically meaningful new, worsening from Baseline, or abnormal laboratory findings or symptoms suggestive of acute kidney injury (AKI) (e.g., "blood urea increased" or "protein urine present" AEs as identified by the Standardized Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities \[MedDRA\] Query \[SMQ\] "Acute renal failure"). TE AESIs were graded for severity (mild \[Grade 1\], moderate \[Grade 2\], severe \[Grade 3\], life threatening \[Grade 4\], death \[Grade 5\]) using CTCAE, version 5.0. The investigator assessed whether the AE AESIs were related or unrelated to the study drug.

Open-label Extension Period: Number of Participants With Any Treatment-emergent (TE) AESI, Any ≥Grade 3 TE AESI, Any Related TE AESI, and Any TE AESI That Led to Discontinuation of Study Drugfrom the beginning of Week 7 up to Week 12

An AE is any untoward medical occurrence in a participant administered a pharmaceutical product and that does not necessarily have a causal relationship with this treatment. TEAEs are AEs with an onset after the first dose of study drug or existing events that worsened after the first dose during the study. AESI were considered to be any clinically meaningful new, worsening from Baseline, or abnormal laboratory findings or symptoms suggestive of acute kidney injury (AKI) (e.g., "blood urea increased" or "protein urine present" AEs as identified by the Standardized Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities \[MedDRA\] Query \[SMQ\] "Acute renal failure"). TE AESIs were graded for severity (mild \[Grade 1\], moderate \[Grade 2\], severe \[Grade 3\], life threatening \[Grade 4\], death \[Grade 5\]) using CTCAE, version 5.0. The investigator assessed whether the AE AESIs were related or unrelated to the study drug.

Number of Participants With Any Clinically Meaningful Changes From Baseline in Clinically Meaningful in Clinical Laboratory Test Resultsup to the end of Week 12

Clinical laboratory test results included results for clinical hematology, chemistry, coagulation, and thyroid function parameters . The investigator determined if changes were clinically meaningful.

Number of Participants With Any Clinically Meaningful Changes From Baseline in Vital Sign Measurementsup to the end of Week 12

Vital sign measurements included measurements for blood pressure, pulse rate, oxygen saturation, body temperature, and respiratory rate. The investigator determined if changes were clinically meaningful.

Number of Participants With Any Clinically Significant Changes From Baseline in Electrocardiogram (ECG) Parametersup to the end of Week 12

ECG parameters included heart rate, RR interval, PR interval, QRS duration, or QT interval. The investigator determined if changes were clinically significant.

Plasma Concentration of EP547 and Metabolites1, 2, and 3 hours postdose on Day 1 and Week 3; predose on Weeks 1, 2, and 6

The lower level of quantitation = 0.01 micrograms per milliliter (µg/mL) for EP547 and 0.005 μg/mL for EP3583.

Trial Locations

Locations (52)

University of Alabama Birmingham Hospital

🇺🇸

Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Dignity Health Center for Clinical Research at St. Joseph Hospital

🇺🇸

Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Southern California Research Center

🇺🇸

Coronado, California, United States

Science 37

🇺🇸

Culver City, California, United States

California Liver Research Institute

🇺🇸

Pasadena, California, United States

University of Miami - Schiff Center for Liver Diseases

🇺🇸

Miami, Florida, United States

University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics

🇺🇸

Iowa City, Iowa, United States

Tulane University Health Sciences Center

🇺🇸

New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Ochsner Medical Center

🇺🇸

New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Massachusetts General Hospital

🇺🇸

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

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University of Alabama Birmingham Hospital
🇺🇸Birmingham, Alabama, United States

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