NCT05751967

Brief Summary

Current treatment guidelines recommend ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) as the first-line treatment for new-diagnosed primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) patients. However, up to 40% patients are insensitive to UDCA monotherapy, and evaluation of UDCA response at 12 months may result in long period of ineffective treatment. We aimed to develop a new criterion to reliably identify non-response patients much earlier. Recently, our team designed and validated a new early criterion for distinguishing high-risk PBC patients in a Chinese population for the first time. Our data indicated that PBC patients with ALP ≤ 2.5 × ULN, AST ≤ 2 × ULN, and TBIL ≤ 1 × ULN (Xi'an criterion) after 1 month UDCA treatment were likely to have better prognosis. It can be readily applied in the rapid identification of PBC patients who require additional therapeutic approaches. However, whether it is reasonable to apply it to the response definition of clinical research, and the guidance of PBC management and choice of second-line treatment, further research is needed.

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
150

participants targeted

Target at P25-P50 for phase_3

Timeline
19mo left

Started Feb 2023

Longer than P75 for phase_3

Geographic Reach
1 country

7 active sites

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress67%
Feb 2023Dec 2027

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

December 13, 2022

Completed
2 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

February 22, 2023

Completed
8 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

March 2, 2023

Completed
4.8 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

December 1, 2027

Expected
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

December 1, 2027

Last Updated

January 8, 2026

Status Verified

January 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

4.8 years

First QC Date

December 13, 2022

Last Update Submit

January 6, 2026

Conditions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Percentage of patients with complete biochemical response

    The normalisation of Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) and total bilirubin (TBIL).

    48 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (13)

  • Percentage of patients having complete biochemical response

    4, 12, 24, 36, and 48 weeks

  • Assessment of the fatigue and the quality of life

    4, 12, 24, 36, and 48 weeks

  • Assessment of the fatigue and the quality of life

    4, 12, 24, 36, and 48 weeks

  • Evolution of the biological markers of the hepatic function or being in the usual prognostic scores

    4, 12, 24, 36, and 48 weeks

  • Evolution of the biological markers of the hepatic function or being in the usual prognostic scores

    4, 12, 24, 36, and 48 weeks

  • +8 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (2)

Placebo

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

1 tablet/ day

Drug: Placebo Combined With Ursodeoxycholic Acid

Fenofibrate

EXPERIMENTAL

200 mg/day

Drug: Fenofibrate Combined With Ursodeoxycholic Acid

Interventions

1 tablet/ day

Also known as: UDCA 13-15mg/kg/d
Placebo

200 mg/day

Also known as: UDCA 13-15mg/kg/d
Fenofibrate

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 75 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Must have provided written informed consent;
  • Age 18-75 years;
  • BMI 17-28 kg/m2
  • Male or female with a diagnosis of PBC, by at least two of the following criteria:
  • History of AP above ULN for at least six months;
  • Positive AMA titers (\>1/40 on immunofluorescence or M2 positive by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or positive PBC-specific antinuclear antibodies;
  • Documented liver biopsy result consistent with PBC.
  • Incomplete response to UDCA defined by Xi'an criteria (ALP \>2.5× ULN, AST\>2×ULN or TBIL\>1×ULN) after UDCA treatment for 4-6 weeks with at least one abnormal test in ALP or TBIL.

You may not qualify if:

  • History or presence of other concomitant liver diseases.
  • ALT/AST \> 5×ULN, TBIL \> 3×ULN.
  • If female: known pregnancy, or has a positive urine pregnancy test (confirmed by a positive serum pregnancy test), or lactating.
  • Allergic to fenofibrate or ursodeoxycholic acid.
  • Taking hepatotoxic drugs (e.g., dapsone, erythromycin, fluconazole, ketoconazole, rifampicin) for more than 2 weeks within 6 months, and long-term hormonal users.
  • Recurrent variceal bleeding, poorly controlled hepatic encephalopathy or refractory ascites.
  • Patients with a history of severe cardiac, cerebrovascular, renal, respiratory disease or functional failure, and psychiatric disorders (including those due to alcohol and drug abuse).
  • Creatinine \>1.5×ULN and creatinine clearance \<60 ml/min.
  • Currently using statins (such as pravastatin, fluvastatin, and simvastatin), other fibrates (such as gemfibrozil and bezafibrate), and drugs structurally similar to fenofibrate (like ketoprofen).
  • Planned to receive an organ transplant or an organ transplant recipient.
  • Needing Liver transplantation within 1 year according to the Mayo Rick score.
  • Any other condition(s) that would compromise the safety of the subject or compromise the quality of the clinical study, as judged by the Investigator.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (7)

The second hospital of Lanzhou University

Lanzhou, Gansu, China

RECRUITING

Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital

Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

NOT YET RECRUITING

Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital

Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

RECRUITING

The First Hospital of China Medical University

Shenyang, Liaoning, China

RECRUITING

Ying han

Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China

RECRUITING

Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital,

Chengdu, Sichuan, China

RECRUITING

Tianjin Medical University General Hospital

Tianjin, China

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary

Interventions

Ursodeoxycholic Acid

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Cholestasis, IntrahepaticCholestasisBile Duct DiseasesBiliary Tract DiseasesDigestive System DiseasesLiver DiseasesLiver CirrhosisFibrosisPathologic ProcessesPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Deoxycholic AcidCholic AcidsBile Acids and SaltsSteroidsFused-Ring CompoundsPolycyclic CompoundsCholanes

Study Officials

  • Ying Han, Doctor

    The First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medicial University

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
phase 3
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
PREVENTION
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Professor

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

December 13, 2022

First Posted

March 2, 2023

Study Start

February 22, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2027

Last Updated

January 8, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations