Dose Escalation of Interleukin-1 (IL-7) Added on Antiviral Treatment and Vaccination in HBeAg-negative Chronic Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Infected Patients (CONVERT)

• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01027065
• Recruitment Status: Unknown
• First Posted: December 7, 2009
• Last Update Posted: October 18, 2012
• Sponsor: Cytheris SA
• Information provided by (Responsible Party): Cytheris SA

Study Description

Brief Summary:

This study is designed to evaluate the safety of biological active dose of a new experimental drug, IL-7, in combination with anti viral therapy and vaccine in patients with Hepatitis B chronic infection.

Condition or disease	Intervention/treatment	Phase
Chronic Hepatitis B	Drug: CYT107+GenHevac+entecavir or tenofovir; Drug: CYT107+ entecavir or tenofovir	Phase 1; Phase 2

Detailed Description:

This is a Phase I/IIa inter-patient dose-escalation study assessing weekly doses of Interleukin-7 (CYT107) in HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B infected adult patients. The dose escalation is aimed at establishing the safety of a biologically active doses of CYT107 added to the current antiviral therapy with entecavir or tenofovir and vaccination or not. At each dose level, study patients will receive one subcutaneous administration of CYT107 per week for a total of 4.

Groups of 8 patients will be entered at each dose level of CYT107. Three dose levels are planned.

At each dose level, patients are randomized between 2 arms of treatment: tritherapy (CYT107, vaccine and antiviral treatment) or bitherapy (CYT107 and vaccine). Each treatment group is composed of 4 patients, 3 receiving experimental treatments, 1 just the current antiviral treatment (control patient).

According to the treatment arm, eligible patients initially receive a vaccine if in treatment group of tritherapy, thereafter, CYT107 is added for a cycle of four weekly injections (if not a control patient) at a defined dose level. If in treatment group of tritherapy, patients will receive 2 additional doses of vaccine.

The treatment phase for the tritherapy group is from first vaccine D0 to last vaccine W12 and includes CYT107 administration from W4 to W7.

The treatment phase for the bitehrapy group is from W4 to W7 corresponding to CYT104 injections.

The patients are then followed on a regular basis until reaching 52 weeks after the D0.

Participants will have 1 overnight hospitalization and 12 clinic visit on a period of 55 weeks.

During the visits the following may be done:

• medical history, physical examination, blood tests
• electrocardiograms (ECG)
• chest X-Ray
• liver/spleen imaging
• urine tests

Study Design

• Study Type: Interventional (Clinical Trial)
• Estimated Enrollment: 24 participants
• Allocation: Randomized
• Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)
• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Official Title: A Phase Randomized Open Labelled Controlled Dose Escalation Study of Repeated Administration of "CYT107" (Glyco-r-hIL-7) Added on Antiviral Treatment and Vaccination in HBeAg-negative Chronic Hepatitis B-infected Patients
• Study Start Date: December 2009
• Estimated Primary Completion Date: November 2012
• Estimated Study Completion Date: March 2013

Arms and Interventions

Arm	Intervention/treatment
Experimental: Tritherapy: CYT107+ vaccine+ antiviral	Drug: CYT107+GenHevac+entecavir or tenofovir; 4 patients per arm for each dose level. 3 patients receiving experimental treatment (CYT107 and vaccine) in addition to current antiviral treatment and 1 control patient only the current antiviral treatment
Experimental: Bitherapy: CYT107 + antiviral	Drug: CYT107+ entecavir or tenofovir; 4 patients per arm for each dose level. 3 patients receiving experimental treatment (CYT107) in addition to current antiviral treatment and 1 control patient only the current antiviral treatment

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures :

1. To determine the short and long-term safety and biological activity of CYT107 in patients with a HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B who have, at screening a HBV DNA undetectable stable for at least 3 months with antiviral treatment. [ Time Frame: Week 12 ]

Secondary Outcome Measures :

1. To characterize the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of CYT107 in humans chronically infected with HBV. [ Time Frame: Week 12 ]
2. To assess the effects of the tri-therapy (CYT107 + HBV vaccine + antiviral treatment) versus bi-therapy (CYT107 + antiviral treatment) versus control (antiviral treatment) on the markers of the HBV infection (antiviral activity)at W16 weeks and W52 [ Time Frame: Week 12 and Week 52 ]
3. To quantify the effects of the tri-therapy (CYT107 + HBV vaccine + antiviral treatment) versus bi-therapy (CYT107 + antiviral treatment) versus control (antiviral treatment) on the immune system at W16 weeks [ Time Frame: Week 16 ]

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Sexes Eligible for Study: All
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Chronic HBV-infected patients
• HBeAg-negative patients
• Age > 18 years
• Patients with active chronic hepatitis at the start of the antiviral treatment
• Patient with a HBV DNA undetectable (<70 copies/ml) stable for at least 3 months under entecavir or tenofovir treatment.
• Ongoing treatment by entecavir or tenofovir at screening Note: previous treatment with pegylated IFN monotherapy, before the start of entecavir or tenofovir, is acceptable

Exclusion Criteria:

• Infection by HCV
• Infection by HIV-1 and /or HIV-2
• Apart from HBV infection, presence of active infection requiring a specific treatment or a hospitalization
• Previous treatment by lamivudine and/or nucleosides analogues
• Inactive carrier
• Cirrhosis
• Other liver disease (notably from alcoholic, metabolic or immunological origin)
• History of clinical autoimmune disease or active auto-immune disease
• Type I diabetes mellitus
• Severe asthma, presently on chronic medications

Contacts and Locations

Locations

France

Hopital Henri Mendor-Service d'HepatoGastroEnterologie

Creteil, France

Hopital Michallon

Grenoble, France

Hopital de l'Hotel Dieu

Lyon, France

Hopital Saint Joseph

Marseille, France

CHU l'Archet

Nice, France

Hopital Tenon

Paris, France

Hopital Civil

Strasbourg, France

Italy

Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria, Policlinico Sant'Orsola Malpighi

Bologna, Italy

Sponsors and Collaborators

Cytheris SA

Investigators

• Study Chair: Christophe Hezode; Hopital Henri Mondor-Créteil-France
• Principal Investigator: Pietro Andreone; S. Orsola Malpighi- Bologna-Italy

More Information

• Responsible Party: Cytheris SA
• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01027065
• Other Study ID Numbers: CLI-107-10; 2009-010709-35 ( Other Identifier: EUDRACT Number )
• First Posted: December 7, 2009
• Last Update Posted: October 18, 2012
• Last Verified: October 2012

Keywords provided by Cytheris SA:

interleukin-7; immune-based therapies; hepatitis B; HBe negative; HBV vaccination; entecavir; tenofovir; chronic hepatitis; immune specific responses to HBV; phase 1/2a; viral disease; liver disease

Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Hepatitis A; Hepatitis B; Hepatitis B, Chronic; Hepatitis; Hepatitis, Chronic; Liver Diseases; Digestive System Diseases; Hepatitis, Viral, Human; Virus Diseases; Infections; Enterovirus Infections; Picornaviridae Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Blood-Borne Infections; Communicable Diseases; Hepadnaviridae Infections; DNA Virus Infections; Chronic Disease; Disease Attributes; Pathologic Processes; Tenofovir; Entecavir; Antiviral Agents; Anti-Infective Agents; Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; Nucleic Acid Synthesis Inhibitors; Enzyme Inhibitors; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Anti-HIV Agents; Anti-Retroviral Agents