A Study to Assess Efficacy and Safety of Eltrombopag in Combination With a Short Course of Dexamethasone in Patients With Newly Diagnosed ITP (XPAG-ITP)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04346654 |
Recruitment Status :
Recruiting
First Posted : April 15, 2020
Last Update Posted : June 30, 2022
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The purpose of this study is to compare the ability of eltrombopag in combination with a short course of high-dose dexamethasone to induce sustained response off treatment in patients with newly-diagnosed ITP versus 1-3 cycles of dexamethasone monotherapy.
The unmet clinical need and the potential for eltrombopag when added to steroids to improve the treatment outcome and the potential to induce sustained response off treatment serve as the basis for clinical investigation of eltrombopag in first-line ITP.
Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP) | Drug: Eltrombopag Drug: Dexamethasone | Phase 2 |
This is a Phase II, multicenter, 1:1 randomized, open-label study to compare the efficacy and safety of eltrombopag in combination with a short course of high-dose dexamethasone to 1-3 cycles of high-dose dexamethasone monotherapy, as first-line treatment in adult patients with newly diagnosed ITP.
Adult patients with newly diagnosed ITP who have platelet counts < 30 × 109/L and require treatment will be screened, and if eligible, will be randomized to either Arm A (eltrombopag in combination with a short course of dexamethasone) or Arm B (1-3 cycles of dexamethasone monotherapy).
The study will be conducted in the following periods:
Screening Period: Patients will be screened for 14 days based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria
Treatment Period: Arm A: Patients will be treated for 26 weeks during the treatment period. Patients who reach platelet counts ≥ 30 × 109/L and maintain counts ≥ 30 × 109/L during the tapering phase will be eligible for treatment discontinuation. Duration of tapering before treatment discontinuation at Week 26 will be 6 weeks. Arm B: Patients will be treated up to 12 weeks during the treatment period. Patients who reach platelet counts ≥ 30 × 109/L and maintain counts ≥ 30 × 109/L after 1-3 cycles of dexamethasone treatment will be eligible for treatment discontinuation. Patients with platelet counts < 30 × 109/L after 3 cycles of dexamethasone treatment will be offered a course of eltrombopag treatment within the study and will discontinue from study at week 52.
Observation period: After completion of treatment period, all patients will be observed for sustained response off treatment until week 52. Only patients with sustained response at week 52 will be followed for another 26 weeks. Patients who relapse between Week 52 and Week 78 will discontinue the study.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 106 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | A Phase II, Randomized (1:1) Open Label Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Eltrombopag in Combination With Dexamethasone Compared to Dexamethasone, as First-line Treatment in Adult Patients With Newly Diagnosed Immune Thrombocytopenia |
Actual Study Start Date : | October 9, 2020 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | October 3, 2022 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | March 31, 2025 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Experimental: Eltrombopag + Dexamethasone
Patients will be treated with eltrombopag in combination with a standard high-dose dexamethasone (1 cycle: 40 mg QD from day 1-4) to induce sustained response off treatment.
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Drug: Eltrombopag
Eltrombopag is for oral use and comes in 25, 50 and 75 mg tablets. Prescribed dose is taken once daily.
Other Name: ETB115 Drug: Dexamethasone Dexamethasone is for oral use and comes in 8 mg tablets. Prescribed dose is taken once daily. |
Active Comparator: Dexamethasone
Patients will be treated with a standard high-dose dexamethasone (1-3 cycles: 40 mg QD day 1-4 every 14-28 days) to induce sustained response off treatment
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Drug: Dexamethasone
Dexamethasone is for oral use and comes in 8 mg tablets. Prescribed dose is taken once daily. |
- Percentage of patients with sustained response off treatment at 52 weeks [ Time Frame: Study treatment discontinuation until week 52 ]Sustained response off treatment at 52 weeks is defined as maintain platelet count ≥ 30 × 109/L after treatment discontinuation in the absence of bleeding events ≥ Grade II or use of any rescue medication at all visits until Week 52
- Percentage of patients with overall response at Week 52 [ Time Frame: Study treatment discontinuation until week 52 ]Overall response at week 52 is defined as platelet count ≥ 30 × 109/L and ≥ 2 fold increase of screeening platelets after treatment discontinuation in the absence of bleeding events ≥ Grade II and no rescue therapy at all visits until Week 52
- Duration of sustained response off treatment [ Time Frame: Study treatment discontinuation until lost of response (up to 78 weeks) ]Duration of sustained response off treatment is defined as time of treatment discontinuation until platelet count < 30 × 109/L or bleeding events ≥ Grade II or use of any rescue therapy
- Percentage of patients with sustained response off treatment at Week 78 [ Time Frame: Study treatment discontinuation until week 78 ]Sustained response off treatment at week 78 is defined as maintain platelet count ≥ 30 × 109/L after treatment discontinuation in the absence of bleeding events ≥ Grade II or use of any rescue medication at all visits until Week 78
- Overall response by Week 4 [ Time Frame: Screening up to 4 weeks ]Overall response by week 4 is defined as platelet count ≥ 30 × 109/L and ≥ 2 fold increase of screening platelet count and absence of bleeding and no rescue therapy at least once by Week 4
- Complete response by Week 4 [ Time Frame: Baseline up to 4 weeks ]Complete Response by week 4 is defined as platelet count ≥ 100 × 109/L and absence of bleeding and no rescue therapy at least once by Week 4
- Absolute changes in platelet count from screening to baseline and toto various time points [ Time Frame: Screening, baseline, 1, 2, 4, 12, 26, and 52 weeks ]Absolute changes in platelet count from screening to baseline and to 1, 2, 4, 12, 26 and 52 weeks
- Relative changes in platelet count from screening to baseline and to various time points [ Time Frame: Screening, baseline, 1, 2, 4, 12, 26, and 52 weeks ]Relative changes in platelet count from screening to baseline and to 1, 2, 4, 12, 26, and 52 weeks
- Time to overall response [ Time Frame: Time from starting study treatment to achievement of overall response (up to 78 weeks) ]Time to overall response is defined as time from starting study treatment to time of achievement of overall response. Overall response is defined as a platelet count ≥ 30 × 109/L and ≥ 2 fold increase of baseline platelet count and absence of bleeding and no rescue therapy
- Time to complete response [ Time Frame: Time from starting study treatment to achievement of complete response (up to 78 weeks) ]Time to complete response is defined as time from starting study treatment to time of achievement of complete response. Complete response is defined as a platelet count ≥ 100 × 109/L and absence of bleeding and no rescue therapy
- Duration of overall and complete response [ Time Frame: Achievement of overall or complete response until lost of response (up to 78 weeks) ]Duration of overall or complete response is defined as time of achievement of overall or complete response (as defined above) until lost of overall or complete response
- Change from baseline in Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue) questionaire [ Time Frame: Baseline to 1, 2, 4, 12, 26, and 52 weeks ]The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue) instrument is a 13-item validated tool used to measure an individual's level of fatigue during usual daily activities over the past 7 days. Items are scored on a 0-4 response scale (4=not at all to 0=very much) where the total possible score ranges from 0-52 (alle items are summed up to create the total score); higher scores represent better HRQoL
- Change from baseline in Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36v2) questionaire [ Time Frame: Baseline to 1, 2, 4, 12, 26, and 52 weeks ]SF-36v2 is a validated instrument with 36 questions to measure general physical and mental health status via assessment of 8 domains-Physical Functioning, Role Physical, Bodily Pain, General Health, Vitality, Social Functioning, Role Emotional, and Mental Health-over the past 4 weeks. The SF-36 is scored using norm-based scoring procedures and scores ranging from 0-100; higher scores represent better HRQoL
- Incidence and severity of bleeding events [ Time Frame: Baseline up to 78 weeks ]Incidence and severity of bleeding assessed by the modified World Health Organization (WHO) Bleeding Scale; Bleeding is graded based on a 1-4 scale (1=minor bleeding to 4=severe bleeding)

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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:
- Signed informed consent must be obtained prior to participation in the study.
- Men and women ≥ 18 years of age
- Newly diagnosed with primary ITP (time from diagnosis within 3 months)
- Platelet count < 30 × 109/L at screening and a need for treatment (per physician's discretion) Note: If pre-treatment is necessary, platelet count data performed directly before pre-treatment (can be used for study inclusion (screening value). Treatment-naïve patients will be included based on their platelet counts performed at screening
Exclusion Criteria:
- Previous history of treatment for ITP, except any ITP-directed therapy for a maximum of 3 days within 7 days before randomization
- Patients with diagnosis of secondary thrombocytopenia
- Patients who have life threatening bleeding complications per physician´s discretion
- Patients with a history of thromboembolic events or known risk factors for thromboembolism
- Serum creatinine > 1.5 mg/dL
- Total bilirubin (TBIL) > 1.5 × upper limit of normal (ULN)
- Aspartate transaminase (AST) > 3.0 × ULN
- Alanine transaminase (ALT) > 3.0 × ULN
- Patients who are human immun deficiency virus (HIV),hepatitis C virus (HCV) or hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive
- Patients with hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh score > 5)
- Patients with known active or uncontrolled infections not responding to appropriate therapy
- History of current diagnosis of cardiac disease or impaired cardiac function denoted
- Patients who have active malignancy
- Patients with evidence of current alcohol/drug abuse
- Any serious and/or unstable pre-existing medical, psychiatric disorder, or other conditions that could interfere with subject's safety, obtaining informed consent or compliance with the study procedures
18. Female subjects who are nursing or pregnant (positive serum or urine B-human chorionic gonadotrophin (B-hCG) pregnancy test) at screening or pre-dose on Day 1 19. Women of child-bearing potential and males unwilling to use adequate contraception during the study

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): NCT04346654
Contact: Novartis Pharmaceuticals | +41613241111 | novartis.email@novartis.com | |
Contact: Novartis Pharmaceuticals |
Germany | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Mannheim, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, 68305 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany, 93053 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Aschaffenburg, Bayern, Germany, 63739 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Muenchen, Bayern, Germany, 80634 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Aachen, Germany, 52074 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Augsburg, Germany, 86179 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Withdrawn |
Berlin, Germany, 13353 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Chemnitz, Germany, 09113 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Donauwoerth, Germany, 86609 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Dortmund, Germany, 44263 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Dresden, Germany, 01307 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Duesseldorf, Germany, 40479 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Frankfurt, Germany, 60590 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Frechen, Germany, 50226 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Giessen, Germany, 35392 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Goslar, Germany, 38642 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Halle Saale, Germany, 06112 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Heilbronn, Germany, 74072 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Jena, Germany, 07740 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Kiel, Germany, 24116 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Kronach, Germany, 96317 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Köln, Germany, 50674 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Oldenburg, Germany, 26121 | |
Novartis Investigative Site | Recruiting |
Westerstede, Germany, 26655 |
Responsible Party: | Novartis Pharmaceuticals |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT04346654 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
CETB115JDE01 |
First Posted: | April 15, 2020 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | June 30, 2022 |
Last Verified: | June 2022 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | Yes |
Plan Description: | Novartis is committed to sharing with qualified external researchers, access to patient-level data and supporting clinical documents from eligible studies. These requests are reviewed and approved by an independent review panel on the basis of scientific merit. All data provided is anonymized to respect the privacy of patients who have participated in the trial in line with applicable laws and regulations. This trial data availability is according to the criteria and process described on www.clinicalstudydatarequest.com |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
ITP Eltrombopag Dexamethasone Sustained response off treatment TFR Adult |
ETB115 Platelets Thrombocytopenic Thrombopoietin receptor Agonist Newly-diagnosed Blood bleeding disorder |
Thrombocytopenia Immune System Diseases Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic Blood Platelet Disorders Hematologic Diseases Purpura, Thrombocytopenic Purpura Blood Coagulation Disorders Thrombotic Microangiopathies Hemorrhagic Disorders Autoimmune Diseases Hemorrhage Pathologic Processes |
Skin Manifestations Dexamethasone Anti-Inflammatory Agents Antiemetics Autonomic Agents Peripheral Nervous System Agents Physiological Effects of Drugs Gastrointestinal Agents Glucocorticoids Hormones Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal Antineoplastic Agents |