Clinical Trial: Study of Ambrisentan With Antifibrotic Agent Combination Therapy in Diffuse Systemic Sclerosis

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: An Open Label Study of Ambrisentan With Antifibrotic Agent Combination Therapy in Treatment of Diffuse Systemic Sclerosis

Brief Summary:

Systemic sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune connective tissue disorder with no universally accepted disease modifying regimen. Recruiting patients for systemic sclerosis treatment studies is difficult due to the limited availability of such patients and furthermore the use of a placebo arm is often deemed unethical due to the poor survival of diffuse systemic sclerosis patients.

Long-term controlled trials examining functional outcomes and survival from novel therapeutic agents for systemic sclerosis are often difficult to undertake because of costs, rarity of the disease and ethical issues with the use of a true placebo. Open label single center studies while inferior to multicenter placebo controlled studies, have helped establish the benefits of certain pharmaceutical agents in systemic sclerosis, and while not universally accepted as disease modifying agents, have been used with some success to treat systemic sclerosis.

The hypothesis on which we are basing this study is that an endothelin receptor antagonist and disease modifying agent with antifibrotic properties will have additive influence on fibrosis, inhibit cellular and humoral hyperactivity and interfere with smooth muscle proliferation in the vessel wall. The combination of these two agents will also be the first regimen to address the heterogeneity of scleroderma manifestations including ILD, pulmonary arterial hypertension and skin manifestations


Detailed Summary:

This is an open label, single center study to determine the efficacy and safety of ambrisentan and antifibrotic agent combination in systemic sclerosis. Up to twenty patients will be recruited within the next year who have early diffuse systemic sclerosis and are presently receiving treatment with any of the following antifibrotic agents - cellcept, colchicine, azathioprine, D-penicillamine, methotrexate or cyclophosphamide. Ambrisentan will be added to the present agent and then followed for 12 months.

Patients, male or female, > 18 years with a clinical diagnosis of systemic sclerosis fulfilling the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology (formerly the American Rheumatism Association) classification criteria for systemic sclerosis (24), and diffuse cutaneous involvement based on the criteria of LeRoy et al

A thorough baseline evaluation will determine the extent and severity of systemic sclerosis in the individual patients using laboratory studies and the clinical evaluation. Monthly follow-ups will capture any safety issues related to the combination therapy based again on laboratory studies and clinical evaluation. At the six month and twelve month follow-up a thorough evaluation will again be undertaken to evaluate the extent and severity of the disorder. Event driven follow-ups will also take place to record and establish any safety issues that may arise. Clinical end-points will be the focus of this study.

Dosing of ambrisentan will begin at 5mg daily for the first month. Half the patients will remain at 5mg daily, while the remaining patients will be increased to a maintenance dose of 10mg daily on the fourth week. Subjects will continue their present dose and schedule of disease modifying/antifibrotic medication for the duration of the study.


Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania

Current Primary Outcome: The primary objective of this study is to determine the benefit that an antifibrotic agent and ambrisentan combination have on the cutaneous involvement of patients with early diffuse systemic sclerosis by utilizing the MRSS. [ Time Frame: Baseline, Month 1, 3, 6, 9, and Month 12. ]

Using validated clinical response measurements such as the modified Rodnan skin score (MRSS) and scleroderma health assessment questionnaire (SHAQ), we will determine whether combination therapy will effect morbidity in systemic sclerosis.


Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

Current Secondary Outcome: Secondary objectives will examine systemic sclerosis as it relates to visceral organ involvement based on the Medsger severity scale as well as quality of life as assessed by the Scleroderma health assessment questionnaire (SHAQ) and SF-36. [ Time Frame: Baseline, Month 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 month. ]

Using validated clinical response measurements such as the modified Rodnan skin score (MRSS)and scleroderma health assessment questionnaire (SHAQ), we will determine whether combination therapy will effect morbidity in systemic sclerosis.


Original Secondary Outcome: Same as current

Information By: University of Pennsylvania

Dates:
Date Received: March 24, 2010
Date Started: February 2010
Date Completion:
Last Updated: May 1, 2017
Last Verified: May 2017