Safety and Efficacy of Oral Immunomodulator in Tuberculosis (TB) and TB/HIV Patients

Sponsor

Lisichansk Regional Tuberculosis Dispensary (Other)

Overall Status

Completed

CT.gov ID

NCT01222338

Collaborator

National Medical University, Ukraine (Other), Immunitor USA Inc. (Industry)

123

Enrollment

Location

Arms

Duration (Months)

10.3

Patients Per Site Per Month

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

Treatment of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is 100 times more expensive than treatment of drug-susceptible TB, requiring intensive clinical management for prolonged time (18-24 months) and more toxic treatment course. In prior open label study the investigators have shown that adding V-5 Immunitor (V5), can reduce treatment duration to one month and enhance by 4-5 fold the efficacy of TB drugs. Furthermore, V5 has been shown to reverse or reduce liver damage caused by chemotherapy. The cost of V5 will be very modest. The investigators propose to conduct placebo-controlled clinical trial in patients with treatment refractory TB so that the clinical benefit of V5 is confirmed.

Condition or Disease	Intervention/Treatment	Phase
Tuberculosis	Biological: V-5 immunitor	Phase 2

Detailed Description

The first-diagnosed Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (TB) is curable with the first line of anti-tuberculosis drugs (ATT) in over 90% of cases within 6 months. The treatment of TB, refractory to conventional ATT, requires the deployment of second line TB drugs. This represents a significant challenge, particularly in resource-poor countries.

The incidence of TB in Ukraine prior to 1992 was about 40 cases per 100,000 people. Ten years later, TB cases increased to over 80/100,000, with mortality doubled from 10.2/100,000 to 21.6/100,000. Drug-resistant TB is now common in Ukraine. Isoniazid and rifampicin resistance, which defines the MDR-TB, has been found in 44% and 32.9% of TB isolates. The first Ukrainian case of HIV was reported in 1987. Today, Ukraine has the highest HIV rate in the Eastern Europe, with increasing proportion of dual infection. For example, in 2002 the prevalence of TB and HIV co-infection was 6.3%, but in 2006 at least 15.5 % of TB patients had HIV co-infection.

It is clear that alternative and improved treatment options are needed. If such an intervention is found, the impact on the healthcare and clinical management of treatment-refractory TB and TB-HIV patients will be tremendous. The significant efforts are directed at finding new drugs and vaccines against TB. Immune-based interventions are actively sought as an adjunct therapy to conventional ATT. In earlier study the investigators have accidentally observed that when patients with chronic hepatitis C and HIV-TB were given V5 together with TB drugs it resulted in negative sputum conversion in 95% of patients within one month. This startling finding had prompted this study. The aim of the present study is to compare the clinical benefit of TB therapy in combination with V5 versus combination of placebo with ATT in a representative population of patients who are poorly manageable due to relapsing TB, MDR-TB, or TB-HIV co-infection.

Study Design

Study Type:

Interventional

Actual Enrollment :

123 participants

Allocation:

Randomized

Intervention Model:

Parallel Assignment

Masking:

Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Primary Purpose:

Treatment

Official Title:

Phase 2 Placebo-controlled, Randomized Study of Oral Immunomodulator in TB and TB/HIV Patients

Study Start Date :

Jan 1, 2010

Actual Primary Completion Date :

Dec 1, 2010

Actual Study Completion Date :

Jan 1, 2011

Arms and Interventions

Arm	Intervention/Treatment
Active Comparator: Immunomodulator intervention Two cohorts or arms of at least 60 subjects each (total 120) with pulmonary TB positive for sputum AFB smear will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive once-daily, tablet of V-5 immunitor in combination with standard ATT for 2 months followed by ATT outside of trial for next 4 months or however long it needs to be.	Biological: V-5 immunitor once per day dosing for 2 months Other Names: V5, V-5 immunitor
Placebo Comparator: placebo Control Cohort 1 (60 subjects) will receive standard first-line ATT regimen: (daily Isoniazide (H) 150mg, Rifampicin (R) 300mg, Ethambutol (E) 400mg, and Pyrazinamide (Z) 400mg during first 2 months, followed by H/R three times per week for the next 4 months. Patients also will receive placebo preparation, appearing identical to V-5 immunitor, taken once daily 30 minutes prior or after meal for 2 months	Biological: V-5 immunitor once per day dosing for 2 months Other Names: V5, V-5 immunitor

Arm

Intervention/Treatment

Active Comparator: Immunomodulator intervention

Two cohorts or arms of at least 60 subjects each (total 120) with pulmonary TB positive for sputum AFB smear will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive once-daily, tablet of V-5 immunitor in combination with standard ATT for 2 months followed by ATT outside of trial for next 4 months or however long it needs to be.

Biological: V-5 immunitor

once per day dosing for 2 months

Other Names:

V5, V-5 immunitor

Placebo Comparator: placebo

Control Cohort 1 (60 subjects) will receive standard first-line ATT regimen: (daily Isoniazide (H) 150mg, Rifampicin (R) 300mg, Ethambutol (E) 400mg, and Pyrazinamide (Z) 400mg during first 2 months, followed by H/R three times per week for the next 4 months. Patients also will receive placebo preparation, appearing identical to V-5 immunitor, taken once daily 30 minutes prior or after meal for 2 months

Biological: V-5 immunitor

once per day dosing for 2 months

Other Names:

V5, V-5 immunitor

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

primary endpoint: sputum smear conversion [12 months]
Sputum smear conversion at monthly intervals timepoint Rates of pulmonary healing by chest X-ray at the end of study

Secondary Outcome Measures

liver function [12 months]
To determine the safety of V5+ATT versus ATT+placebo in TB-infected subjects, Standard parameters, e.g., ALT and bilirubin, liver size will be measured.
quality of life [12 months]
Measure changes in quality of life by TB score questionnaire
hematology parameters [12 months]
Measure CBC by standard routine methods
weight gain [12 months]
Measure changes in body weight

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study:

18 Years to 70 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study:

All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

Inclusion Criteria:

Subjects who are at least 18 years old and are willing and capable of providing written-informed consent.
Both men and non-pregnant women will be included.
One group of 30 patients will have HIV.
Another group of 30 patients will have drug-resistant TB (MDR or XDR).
Remaining 60 patients will have drug-sensitive TB of which 30 will be assigned to placebo.
TB infection documented prior to Study Entry by either the presence of TB rapid test or sputum smear positive for acid-fast bacilli (AFB).
At least two independent tests are sought to confirm TB diagnosis.
Agreement to participate in the study and to give a sample of blood for HIV testing.

Exclusion Criteria:

Subjects who have already taken V5 in prior trial and those without baseline data.
Those who met inclusion criteria can be retrospectively enrolled.
Those who are re-treated and relapsed will be eligible as long as they are on the same drug regimen as the rest of patients.
Pregnant or breast-feeding women are excluded.
Subjects who have taken anti-retroviral drugs or immunomodulatory therapies within 2 months prior to Entry:
systemic corticosteroids
immune globulin (IV gamma globulin, IVIG)
interferons,
interleukins
pentoxifylline (Trental)
thalidomide
filgrastim (G-CSF)
sargramostim (GM-CSF)
dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)
thymosin alpha 1 (thymosin alpha)
thymopentin
inosiplex (Isoprinosine)
polyribonucleoside (Ampligen)
ditiocarb sodium (Imuthiol)
any locally available immune modulators
and any other therapeutic or preventive vaccine.
Subjects requiring concurrent participation in another experimental research treatment study, or who received an experimental agent within four weeks prior to Study Entry.
Medical conditions that in the opinion of the local investigator, may obscure the proper observation of the safety or activity of the study treatment; including any acute medical condition of unknown etiology or recent surgery prior to Entry.
Medical conditions such as active alcohol or substance abuse, or psychological issues that in the opinion of the local investigator, would interfere with adherence to the requirements of this study.