Study of Elafibranor in Patients With Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC)

Running, not enrolling · Phase 3 · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

In brief

The participants of this study will have confirmed Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) with inadequate response or intolerance to ursodeoxycholic acid (which is a medication used in the management and treatment of cholestatic liver disease). PBC is a slowly progressive disease characterized by damage of the bile ducts in the liver, leading to a buildup of bile acids which causes further damage. The liver damage in PBC may lead to scarring (cirrhosis). PBC may also be associated with multiple symptoms. Many patients with PBC may require liver transplant or may die if the disease progresses and a liver transplant is not done. The main aim of this study is to determine if elafibranor (the study drug) is better than placebo (a dummy treatment) at decreasing the levels of a specific blood test (alkaline phosphatase) that provides information about participant's disease. This study will also evaluate the safety of long-term treatment with elafibranor, as well as the impact on symptoms such as itchy skin (pruritus) and tiredness (fatigue). This study has two main parts: Part 1 will compare a daily dose of elafibranor to a daily dose of placebo and will last between a minimum of one year and a maximum of two years. Part 2, all participants will receive elafibranor for a period of up to 5 years or until the total treatment duration (part 1 and part 2) reaches 6 years, whichever occurs first.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT04526665

Run by

Ipsen

People needed

161

Starts

2020-09-24

Expected to finish

2028-12-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-08-04

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 75. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Males or females age of 18 to 75 years (inclusive)
• Definite or probable Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) diagnosis
• Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) ≥ 1.67x upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Total bilirubin (TB) ≤ 2x ULN
• Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) for at least 12 months (stable dose ≥ 3 months) prior to screening, or unable to tolerate UDCA treatment (no UDCA for ≥ 3 months) prior to screening (per country standard-of-care dosing)
• Must have PBC Worst Itch Numeric rating scale (NRS) collected prior to randomization
• Females participating in this study must be of non-child bearing potential or must be using highly efficient contraception for the full duration of the study and for 1 month after the last drug intake

You may not qualify if…

• History or presence of other concomitant liver disease
• Clinically significant hepatic decompensation, including patients with complications of cirrhosis/portal hypertension
• Medical conditions that may cause non-hepatic increases in ALP (e.g., Paget's disease) or which may diminish life expectancy to < 2 years, including known cancers
• Patient has a positive test for HIV Type 1 or 2 at screening, or patient is known to have tested positive for HIV
• Evidence of any other unstable or untreated clinically significant disease
• History of alcohol abuse
• For female patients: known pregnancy or lactating
• Use of fibrates and glitazones within 2 months prior to screening
• Use of Obeticholic acid (OCA), azathioprine, cyclosporine, methotrexate, mycophenolate, pentoxifylline, budesonide and other systemic corticosteroids (parenteral and oral chronic administration only); potentially hepatotoxic drugs
• (including α-methyl-dopa, sodium valproic acid isoniazid, or nitrofurantoin) within 3 months prior to screening
• Use of antibodies or immunotherapy directed against interleukins (ILs) or other cytokines or chemokines within 12 months prior to screening
• For patients with previous exposure to OCA, OCA should be discontinued 3 months prior to screening
• Patients who are currently participating in, plan to participate in, or have participated in an investigational drug study or medical device study containing active substance within 30 days or five half-lives, whichever is longer, prior to screening; for patients with previous exposure to seladelpar, seladelpar should be discontinued 3 months prior to screening
• Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and/or Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) values > 5 x ULN
• For patients with AT or TB>ULN at SV1, variability of AT or TB > 40% (see section 3.5.1)
• Albumin<3.0 g/dl
• Severely advanced patients according to Rotterdam criteria (TB > ULN and albumin <LLN)
• INR > 1.3 due to altered hepatic function
• CPK > 2 x ULN
• Screening serum creatinine > 1.5 mg/dl
• Significant renal disease, including nephritic syndrome, chronic kidney disease (defined as patients with markers of kidney failure damage or eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m\^2) calculated by Modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD)
• Platelet count < 150 x 10\^3/μL
• AFP > 20 ng/mL with 4-phase liver CT or MRI imaging suggesting presence of liver cancer
• Known hypersensitivity to the investigational product or to any of the formulation excipients of the elafibranor or placebo tablet Mental instability or incompetence, such that the validity of informed consent or ability to be compliant with the study is uncertain

Where it is running

• Keck Medical Center of USC — Los Angeles, California, United States
• Ruane Clinical Research Group Inc. — Los Angeles, California, United States
• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center — Los Angeles, California, United States
• University of California, Davis Medical Center — Sacramento, California, United States
• California Pacific Medical Center - Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation — San Francisco, California, United States
• University of Colorado Denver and Hospital — Aurora, Colorado, United States
• South Denver Gastroenterology, P.C. — Englewood, Colorado, United States
• Yale School of Medicine, Digestive Diseases — New Haven, Connecticut, United States
• Encore Borland-Groover Clinical Research — Jacksonville, Florida, United States
• Schiff Center for Liver Diseases/University of Miami — Miami, Florida, United States
• Digestive Healthcare of Georgia — Atlanta, Georgia, United States
• University of Kansas Medical Center — Kansas City, Kansas, United States
• Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston, Massachusetts, United States
• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) — Boston, Massachusetts, United States
• Henry Ford Health System — Novi, Michigan, United States
• Saint Louis University — St Louis, Missouri, United States
• UPMC Center for Liver Diseases — New Hyde Park, New York, United States
• NYU Langone Health / NYU Grossman School of Medicine — New York, New York, United States
• Columbia University Medical Center - Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation — New York, New York, United States
• The New York-Presbyterian Hospital, David H. Koch Center — New York, New York, United States
• Duke University Medical Center — Durham, North Carolina, United States
• Carolinas Centre for Liver disease/ Atrium Health — Huntersville, North Carolina, United States
• Consultants for Clinical Research — Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
• University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center — Cleveland, Ohio, United States
• The Institute for Liver Health — Chandler, Arizona, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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