A Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Rituximab in Participants With Systemic Sclerosis

Tokyo University56 enrolled

Overview

This study evaluates the efficacy and safety of rituximab compared with placebo in SSc patients. This study consists of a 24-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled period followed by a 24-week active drug treatment period.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

QUADRUPLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Scleroderma, Systemic Skin Sclerosis Lung Fibrosis Autoimmune Diseases Collagen Diseases

Interventions

Double-Blind PlaceboDRUG

The 4-week treatment period (four 375 mg/m2 doses at 1-week intervals) and subsequent 20-week follow-up period constitute one cycle of treatment. In the double-blind period, one cycle of placebo will be administered. In the active drug period, one additional cycle (rituximab) will be administered.

Double-Blind RituximabDRUG

The 4-week treatment period (four 375 mg/m2 doses at 1-week intervals) and subsequent 20-week follow-up period constitute one cycle of treatment. In the double-blind period, one cycle of rituximab will be administered. In the active drug period, one additional cycle (rituximab) will be administered.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 20 YearsMax age: 80 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Fulfill the diagnostic criteria for systemic sclerosis defined in the 2016 edition of the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Systemic Sclerosis and have an mRTSS of 2 (moderate) or higher for skin sclerosis 2. Aged 20 or older and younger than 80 at the time of consent 3. Have an expected survival of at least 6 months (and expected to allow 6 months of observation) 4. Fulfill the following criteria related to concomitant medications/therapies: * Not received corticosteroids equivalent to more than 10 mg/day of prednisolone within 2 weeks before the start of study treatment; and * Not received antifibrotic agents (like nintedanib, pirfenidone, tocilizumab), other investigational products, immunosuppressants (cyclophosphamide, mycophenolate mofetil, ciclosporin, tacrolimus, azathioprine, and mizoribine), high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin, or imatinib 4 weeks prior to the start of study treatment. 5. Provided written consent to participate in the study Exclusion Criteria: 1. Present with pulmonary hypertension\* associated with systemic sclerosis \*: The patient will undergo echocardiography during the pre-treatment observation period to exclude pulmonary hypertension. The patient will be required to undergo examination by an expert (eg, at the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine) if systolic pulmonary artery pressure exceeds 35 mmHg. 2. Have serious complications (eg, renal crisis) associated with systemic sclerosis (excluding interstitial pneumonia\*\*) \*\*: Patients with interstitial pneumonia will be excluded if the criterion 3) below is met. 3. Have only poor respiratory reserve (%VC or %DLco, both calculated using the "estimation equation more suitable for Japanese," is less than 60% or 40%, respectively) 4. Known to have HIV antibodies 5. Have a positive result for any of the following: HBs antigen, HBs antibody, HBc antibody, and HCV antibody (this criterion does not apply to a positive test for hepatitis B clearly attributable to hepatitis vaccination) 6. Have serious bacterial/fungal infections 7. Have a serious liver disease (AST \[GOT\] or ALT\[GPT\] of ≥ 300 IU) 8. Have a serious renal disease (serum creatinine ≥ 2.0 mg/dL) 9. Have severe heart disease 10. Have active tuberculosis 11. Have any known malignancy or a history of malignancy within the past 5 years 12. Have a history of serious infections 13. Have a history of serious hypersensitivity or anaphylactic reactions to any component of rituximab or to mouse proteins 14. Pregnant, postpartum, and lactating women 15. Refuse to practice contraception from the time of consent to at least 12 months after study completion 16. Have any disease or physical/psychiatric conditions that make study participation difficult/inappropriate 17. Received other investigational products within 12 weeks prior to the study treatment or are participating in other clinical research/studies 18. Smoked within 12 weeks prior to the date of consent 19. Is determined by the investigator (or sub-investigator) to be ineligible for the study for any other reason

Locations (4)

University of Fukui Hospital

Fukui, Japan

Chukyo Hospital

Nagoya, Japan

The University of Tokyo Hospital

Tokyo, Japan

University of Tsukuba Hospital

Tsukuba, Japan

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change in Modified Rodnan Total Skin Thickness Score (mRTSS) during double-blind period

Absolute change from pre-treatment observation period in skin sclerosis at week 24 of treatment in the double-blind phase, assessed by mRTSS. mRTSS ranging from 0 (normal) to 3 (severe skin thickening) across 17 different body parts. The total score is the sum of the individual skin scores for all these sites, and ranges from 0 to 51 units.