Corticosteroids in Alcoholic Hepatitis
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The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Know the risks and potential benefits of clinical studies and talk to your health care provider before participating. Read our disclaimer for details. |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03160651 |
Recruitment Status :
Recruiting
First Posted : May 19, 2017
Last Update Posted : February 26, 2021
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
Alcoholic Hepatitis | Drug: Methylprednisolone or placebo | Not Applicable |
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 140 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | Triple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator) |
Masking Description: | double-blind randomized trial Investigator, patients, and care providers will be masking Only statisticians and pharmacist will not be masking |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | Corticosteroids in Severe Alcoholic Hepatitis Patients With Early Spontaneous Improvement |
Actual Study Start Date : | February 9, 2018 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | June 2022 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | December 2022 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Active Comparator: methylprednisolone
Patients will receive 28 days of methylprednisolone 32 mg/day
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Drug: Methylprednisolone or placebo
Patients will receive 28 days of methylprednisolone 32 mg/day |
Placebo Comparator: placebo
Patients will receive 28 days of matching placebo
|
Drug: Methylprednisolone or placebo
Patients will receive 28 days of methylprednisolone 32 mg/day |
- Mortality at 90 days [ Time Frame: 90 days ]To determine whether Methylprednisolone compared to placebo improve the 90 day mortality from patients with severe AH and spontaneous improvement of liver function
- Mortality at 28 days [ Time Frame: 28 days ]To determine the 28 day mortality from patients with severe AH and spontaneous liver function improvement treated with Methylprednisolone or placebo
- Incidence of infections during the study period (90 days) [ Time Frame: 90 days ]To determine the incidence of infections during the 90 day study period in corticosteroid-treated compared to placebo-treated patients

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
-
Clinical syndrome of alcoholic hepatitis:
recent jaudice or in recent aggravation (< 3 months) serum bilirubin > 5 mg/dL history of excess alcohol abuse (> 40g/day)
- Alcoholic hepatitis proven by a liver biopsy (histological criteria of alcoholic hepatitis defined according to EASL clinical practice guidelines : steatosis, hepatocyte ballooning, and an inflammatory infiltrate with PMNs). The results of the liver biopsy are not mandatory for inclusion. However, the biopsy must be planned at the latest on day 1. When the results become available and do not confirm alcoholic hepatitis, the patient must discontinue the study.
- Spontaneous liver function improvement, defined by a decrease in serum bilirubin level > 10% between admission and day 5-10 after admission
- less than 2 weeks since admission to hospital
- Maddrey discriminant function* greater than or equal to 32
- Subjects must voluntarily sign and date an informed consent form, approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB)/Independent Ethics Committee (IEC) prior to the initiation of any screening or study-specific procedures.
- Subjects must be able to understand and adhere to the study visit schedule and all other protocol requirements.
Patients with significant hepatic encephalopathy are not excluded from participation to the trial. In this case, the patient should be accompanied by a legal representative that will decide participation in the clinical study and sign ICF.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Other causes of liver disease including viral hepatitis (positive HBs antigen, HCV RNA positive), auto-immune hepatitis, biliary obstruction
- Other disease compromising 90-day survival
- Positive HIV serology
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Uncontrolled infection All patients will be screened for infection. This will involve chest radiography, urinalysis, PMNs count in ascites (if ascites present). All other sign or clinical suspicion of infection with or without antibiotherapy will be recorded as an infection.
Positive culture and initiation of antibiotics with clinical or radiological signs of infection, as well as clinical suspicion, will be recorded as infection.
Patients with evidence of sepsis will be treated for a minimum of 2 days with appropriate antibiotics. Once the local principal investigator considers that the sepsis is under control, the patient may be rescreened and randomised.
- Uncontrolled gastrointestinal bleeding Bleeding must be judged as controlled for at least 5 days
- Patient with serum creatinine > 2.5 mg/dL, under renal replacement therapy or under terlipressine (or other vasoactive drugs)
- Pentoxyphilline therapy
- Pregnant or lactating women

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT03160651
Contact: Christophe Moreno, MD, PhD | +32 2 5553714 | christophe.moreno@erasme.ulb.ac.be | |
Contact: Françoise Smits, Nurse | +32 2 5554478 | francoise.smits@erasme.ulb.ac.be |
Belgium | |
CUB Hôpital Erasme | Recruiting |
Brussels, Belgium, 1070 | |
Contact: Christophe Moreno, MD christophe.moreno@erasme.ulb.ac.be |
Principal Investigator: | Christophe Moreno, MD, PhD | Erasme University Hospital |
Responsible Party: | Erasme University Hospital |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT03160651 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
CORTISAVE study |
First Posted: | May 19, 2017 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | February 26, 2021 |
Last Verified: | February 2021 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
Product Manufactured in and Exported from the U.S.: | No |
alcoholic hepatitis spontaneous improvement corticosteroids |
Hepatitis A Hepatitis Hepatitis, Alcoholic Liver Diseases Digestive System Diseases Hepatitis, Viral, Human Virus Diseases Enterovirus Infections Picornaviridae Infections RNA Virus Infections Liver Diseases, Alcoholic Alcohol-Induced Disorders Alcohol-Related Disorders Substance-Related Disorders Chemically-Induced Disorders |
Methylprednisolone Methylprednisolone Acetate Methylprednisolone Hemisuccinate Prednisolone Prednisolone acetate Prednisolone hemisuccinate Prednisolone phosphate Anti-Inflammatory Agents Antiemetics Autonomic Agents Peripheral Nervous System Agents Physiological Effects of Drugs Gastrointestinal Agents Glucocorticoids Hormones |