Phase I/II Trial of KRN7000 in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Infection

• Decrease in serum hepatitis C virus ribonucleic acid (HCV RNA) levels.
  

• Normalization of serum ALT levels.
  
• Effect on serum cytokines IFNg and TNFa and on iNKT cells.
  

Phase I/II trial of KRN7000 in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

This study is a multicenter double-blind randomized placebo-controlled phase I/II dose-escalation trial. The protocol is conducted in The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Patients with chronic hepatitis C who met the inclusion criteria are assigned to receive a-GalCer (KRN7000 ((2S, 3S, 4R)-1-O-(a-D-galactopyranosyl)-N-hexacosanoyl-2-amino-1,3,4-octadecanetriol), Kirin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Gunma, Japan) or placebo intravenously, thrice with intervals of 4 weeks. Cohorts of 12 patients are entered at each of the three dose levels (0.1, 1 and 10 mg/kg body weight). Three patients per dose level are randomized to the placebo arm.

Dose escalation to the next cohort are decided after evaluation by a safety review board of all the safety data collected on all the patients who had completed 3 weeks after the first injection in the preceding dose cohort. After completion of 8 weeks of treatment, with injections at 0, 4 and 8 weeks, patients are monitored without further therapy for an additional 16 weeks.

Study objectives: The objective of the study is to evaluate and compare the safety and tolerability of 3 ascending doses of a-GalCer. The primary efficacy parameter is the response at the end of treatment, based on serum hepatitis C virus ribonucleic acid (HCV RNA) levels. As a secondary efficacy parameter serum ALT levels are evaluated. Further objectives of the study are to evaluate the effect of a-GalCer on serum cytokines IFNg and TNFa and on iNKT cells.