NCT06768294

Brief Summary

The aim of this clinical trial is to determine if baricitinib is effective in treating calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease (CPPD) in adults. The primary objective is to assess its impact on joint inflammation. The key questions the study seeks to answer are:

  • Can baricitinib reduce inflammation in affected joints?
  • Will baricitinib lead to changes in ultrasound findings, such as calcium crystal deposition and synovitis? Researchers will compare baricitinib to other treatments, including methylprednisolone, colchicine, hydroxychloroquine, and methotrexate with folic acid, for managing CPPD.

Trial Health

63
Monitor

Trial Health Score

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

Enrollment
32

participants targeted

Target at P25-P50 for phase_2

Timeline
8mo left

Started Jan 2025

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
not yet 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%
Jan 2025Jan 2027

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

November 4, 2024

Completed
2 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

January 1, 2025

Completed
9 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

January 10, 2025

Completed
1.4 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

June 1, 2026

Expected
7 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

January 1, 2027

Last Updated

January 10, 2025

Status Verified

January 1, 2025

Enrollment Period

1.4 years

First QC Date

November 4, 2024

Last Update Submit

January 6, 2025

Conditions

Keywords

calcium pyrophosphate deposition diseasechondrocalcinosispseudogoutultrasoundbaricitinibolumiantsynovial biopsyarthritis

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • The evaluation the effect of baricitinib on inflammation of the synovial membrane in CPPD

    CD68 score will be used as outcome measure for the primary objective. CD68 score will be calculated from an analysis of 6 images from each biopsy section and expressed as the mean area of tissue occupied by positively stained cells.

    The outcome for the primary objective is the changes in the synovial tissue CD68 scoring at 12 weeks, an objective outcome measure.

Secondary Outcomes (13)

  • To assess the changes in Krenn synovitis score at the synovial level

    12 weeks

  • To assess the changes in cytochin levels at the synovial membrane

    12 weeks

  • To determine changes at ultrasound examination in terms of calcium crystal deposition

    4, 12 and 24 weeks

  • To determine changes at ultrasound examination in terms of synovitis

    4, 12 and 24 weeks

  • To determine changes at ultrasound examination in terms of bone changes

    4, 12 and 24 weeks

  • +8 more secondary outcomes

Other Outcomes (1)

  • To explore the possible baricitinib-induced impact on whole-body metabolism

    24 weeks

Study Arms (2)

One group will receive baricitinib at the dose of 4mg/daily

ACTIVE COMPARATOR
Drug: Baricitinib 4 MG Oral Tablet

standard of care (to be decided according to the guidelines)

SHAM COMPARATOR

Methylprednisolone tablets, Colchicine 1 mg tablets, Hydroxychloroquine 200 mg tablets, MTX + folic acid (to be decided according to the guidelines)

Drug: Methylprednisolone (Corticosteroid)Drug: Colchicine 1 MG Oral TabletDrug: Hydroxychloroquine 200 mgCombination Product: Methotrexate + Folic Acid

Interventions

Baricitinib is a JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor approved for use in Rheumatoid Arthritis. It is under investigation for use in several inflammatory diseases, including Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis, Atopic Dermatitis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, with encouraging results. As IL-6 plays a central role in CPPD inflammatory process, a broad spectrum of interleukins and other proinflammatory proteins (including interferons) could be involved. A drug that acts by blocking more than one proinflammatory cytokine could be a promising treatment for a multifaceted disease such as CPPD.

One group will receive baricitinib at the dose of 4mg/daily

The initial dosage of methylprednisolone may vary depending on the entity of inflammation and the patient's comorbidities. Usually in CPPD a short-term administration of methylprednisolone starts with 16 mg per day after breakfast decreasing the initial dosage in small decrements at appropriate time intervals until discontinuation, in about 2 weeks. Methylprednisolone will be given in combination with gastroprotective agents such as proton pump inhibitors.

standard of care (to be decided according to the guidelines)

1 or ½ tablet (depending on individual tolerance) daily after breakfast

standard of care (to be decided according to the guidelines)

1 tablet daily after lunch

standard of care (to be decided according to the guidelines)
Methotrexate + Folic AcidCOMBINATION_PRODUCT

MTX 2.5 mg tablets, from 2 to 4 tablets (5-10mg), depending on disease severity, to be administered once weekly after dinner, always in the same day of the week. One tablet of folic acid (folina 5 mg) will be administered the day after MTX administration, after breakfast, to reduce and prevent the common side effects of MTX.

standard of care (to be decided according to the guidelines)

Eligibility Criteria

Age55 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Signed Informed Consent;
  • Male and female patients aged ≥55 years;
  • Patients that according to the investigator's judgement will benefit from the proposed treatments (favourable benefit/risk profile)
  • Menopause for women;(no menses for 12 months without an alternative medical cause. A high follicle stimulating hormone level in the postmenopausal range may be used to confirm a postmenopausal state in women not using hormonal contraception or hormonal replacement therapy. However in the absence of 12 months of amenorrhea, a high follicle stimulating single measurement is insufficient.);
  • Male patients must avoid having a child during the trial and must use one of the highly effective methods of contraception or sexual abstinence or have a menopause partner (no menses for 12 months without an alternative medical cause. A high follicle stimulating hormone level in the postmenopausal range may be used to confirm a postmenopausal state in women not using hormonal contraception or hormonal replacement therapy. However in the absence of 12 months of amenorrhea, a high follicle stimulating single measurement is insufficient). Contraception methods include:
  • Total abstinence (when this is in line with the preferred and usual lifestyle of the subject). Periodic abstinence (e.g., calendar, ovulation, symptothermal, post-ovulation methods) and withdrawal are not acceptable methods of contraception
  • Sterilization of the female partner (have had surgical bilateral oophorectomy with or without hysterectomy), total hysterectomy or tubal ligation at least six weeks before the partner enrollment. In case of oophorectomy alone, only when the reproductive status of the woman has been confirmed by follow-up hormone level assessment
  • Male sterilization (vasectomy) at least 6 months prior to screening
  • Barrier methods of contraception: Condom or Occlusive cap (diaphragm or cervical/vault caps).
  • The female partner use oral, (estrogen and progesterone), injected or implanted hormonal methods of contraception or other forms of hormonal contraception that have comparable efficacy (failure rate \<1%), for example hormone vaginal ring or transdermal hormone contraception or placement of an intrauterine device (IUD) or intrauterine system (IUS)
  • Patients fulfilling the 2023 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for CPPD disease;
  • Patients with feasibility of synovial biopsy at the knee or wrist joint;
  • Patients with CPPD clinical presentation that may be:
  • Subset 2: patients with prevalent involvement of the large joints (oligoarthritis). Patients with recurrent/persistent effusion in one or more large joints (independently of the presence and grade of OA), not responsive to a single injection of steroid and white cell count in joint synovial fluid that is more than 2000 cells/mm3 and/or patients with acute monoarticular arthritis, with more than 3 attacks in one joint in the last 12 months, will be included in this group.

You may not qualify if:

  • Patients positive at anticitrullinated positive antibodies (ACPA), any titre;
  • Patients affected by seronegative arthritis or other conditions that may be responsible of arthritis (i.e. gout, rheumatic polymyalgia, etc);
  • Patients that refuse synovial biopsy or present contraindications, according to investigator's judgement, including (but not limited to) increased risk for bleeding (platelet count \<100000 or use of anticoagulants), allergy to local anesthetics, suspicion of septic arthritis;
  • Patients with history of malignancy or lymphoproliferative disease; or have signs or symptoms suggestive of possible lymphoproliferative disease, including lymphadenopathy or splenomegaly; or have active primary or recurrent malignant disease; or have been in remission from clinically significant malignancy for \< 5 years;
  • Patients with cervical carcinoma in situ, basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinomas who have had active disease within 3 years of screening for this study;
  • Patients with active, untreated, acute or chronic infection (such as untreated tuberculosis), or immunocompromised to an extent that such that participation in the study would pose an unacceptable risk to the subject. Patients with treated infections such as latent tuberculosis after completion of the appropriate therapy are not excluded;
  • Patients with clinically serious infection or that have received intravenous antibiotics for an infection, within 4 weeks of randomization;
  • Patients with active viral infection that, based on the investigator\'s clinical assessment, makes the patient an unsuitable candidate for the study;
  • Patients with serology suggestive for active or chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection; anti-HCV, anti-HBs, anti-HBc antibodies and HBcAg, HBsAg will be tested. Patients that will result positive for anti-HCV and/or HBcAg and/or HBsAg and/or anti-HBc antibodies will be excluded from the study. Patients who are positive for both anti-HBc and antiHBs, but negative for HBcAg and HBsAb could be enrolled.
  • Patients with symptomatic herpes zoster infection within 12 weeks of screening or recurrent or disseminated (even a single episode) herpes zoster;
  • Patients with a history of disseminated opportunistic infections (e.g., listeriosis and histoplasmosis);
  • Patients with a history of venous thromboembolism (VTE), or are considered at high risk for VTE as deemed by the investigator
  • Patients who are currently on immunosuppressive therapies or have not discontinued them for at least 4 weeks;
  • Patients with clinically significant (per investigator\'s judgement) drug or alcohol abuse within the last 6 months preceding the baseline visit;
  • Patients with any major surgery within 8 weeks prior to baseline or requiring major surgery during the study, which in the opinion of the investigator would pose an unacceptable risk to the patient;
  • +6 more criteria

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

IRCCS Galeazzi - Sant Ambrogio Hospital

Milan, 20157, Italy

Location

Related Publications (19)

  • Krenn V, Morawietz L, Burmester GR, Kinne RW, Mueller-Ladner U, Muller B, Haupl T. Synovitis score: discrimination between chronic low-grade and high-grade synovitis. Histopathology. 2006 Oct;49(4):358-64. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2559.2006.02508.x.

    PMID: 16978198BACKGROUND
  • Krenn V, Morawietz L, Haupl T, Neidel J, Petersen I, Konig A. Grading of chronic synovitis--a histopathological grading system for molecular and diagnostic pathology. Pathol Res Pract. 2002;198(5):317-25. doi: 10.1078/0344-0338-5710261.

    PMID: 12092767BACKGROUND
  • Kelly S, Humby F, Filer A, Ng N, Di Cicco M, Hands RE, Rocher V, Bombardieri M, D'Agostino MA, McInnes IB, Buckley CD, Taylor PC, Pitzalis C. Ultrasound-guided synovial biopsy: a safe, well-tolerated and reliable technique for obtaining high-quality synovial tissue from both large and small joints in early arthritis patients. Ann Rheum Dis. 2015 Mar;74(3):611-7. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2013-204603. Epub 2013 Dec 13.

    PMID: 24336336BACKGROUND
  • Sirotti S, Terslev L, Filippucci E, Iagnocco A, Moller I, Naredo E, Vreju FA, Adinolfi A, Becce F, Hammer HB, Cazenave T, Cipolletta E, Christiansen SN, Delle Sedie A, Diaz M, Figus F, Mandl P, MacCarter D, Mortada MA, Mouterde G, Porta F, Reginato AM, Schmidt WA, Serban T, Wakefield RJ, Zufferey P, Sarzi-Puttini P, Zanetti A, Damiani A, Pineda C, Keen HI, D'Agostino MA, Filippou G; OMERACT Ultrasound working group-CPPD subgroup. Development and validation of an OMERACT ultrasound scoring system for the extent of calcium pyrophosphate crystal deposition at the joint level and patient level. Lancet Rheumatol. 2023 Aug;5(8):e474-e482. doi: 10.1016/S2665-9913(23)00136-4. Epub 2023 Jul 5.

    PMID: 38251579BACKGROUND
  • Terslev L, Naredo E, Aegerter P, Wakefield RJ, Backhaus M, Balint P, Bruyn GAW, Iagnocco A, Jousse-Joulin S, Schmidt WA, Szkudlarek M, Conaghan PG, Filippucci E, D'Agostino MA. Scoring ultrasound synovitis in rheumatoid arthritis: a EULAR-OMERACT ultrasound taskforce-Part 2: reliability and application to multiple joints of a standardised consensus-based scoring system. RMD Open. 2017 Jul 11;3(1):e000427. doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2016-000427. eCollection 2017.

    PMID: 28948984BACKGROUND
  • Uson J, Rodriguez-Garcia SC, Castellanos-Moreira R, O'Neill TW, Doherty M, Boesen M, Pandit H, Moller Parera I, Vardanyan V, Terslev L, Kampen WU, D'Agostino MA, Berenbaum F, Nikiphorou E, Pitsillidou IA, de la Torre-Aboki J, Carmona L, Naredo E. EULAR recommendations for intra-articular therapies. Ann Rheum Dis. 2021 Oct;80(10):1299-1305. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-220266. Epub 2021 May 25.

    PMID: 34035002BACKGROUND
  • Genovese MC, Smolen JS, Takeuchi T, Burmester G, Brinker D, Rooney TP, Zhong J, Daojun M, Saifan C, Cardoso A, Issa M, Wu WS, Winthrop KL. Safety profile of baricitinib for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis over a median of 3 years of treatment: an updated integrated safety analysis. Lancet Rheumatol. 2020 Jun;2(6):e347-e357. doi: 10.1016/S2665-9913(20)30032-1.

    PMID: 38273598BACKGROUND
  • Caporali R, Taylor PC, Aletaha D, Sanmarti R, Takeuchi T, Mo D, Haladyj E, Bello N, Zaremba-Pechmann L, Fang Y, Dougados M. Efficacy of baricitinib in patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis up to 6.5 years of treatment: results of a long-term study. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2024 Oct 1;63(10):2799-2809. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keae012.

    PMID: 38258434BACKGROUND
  • Filippou G, Adinolfi A, Cimmino MA, Scire CA, Carta S, Lorenzini S, Santoro P, Sconfienza LM, Bertoldi I, Picerno V, Di Sabatino V, Ferrata P, Galeazzi M, Frediani B. Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound, conventional radiography and synovial fluid analysis in the diagnosis of calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal deposition disease. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2016 Mar-Apr;34(2):254-60. Epub 2016 Feb 9.

    PMID: 26886247BACKGROUND
  • Abhishek A, Tedeschi SK, Pascart T, Latourte A, Dalbeth N, Neogi T, Fuller A, Rosenthal A, Becce F, Bardin T, Ea HK, Filippou G, Fitzgerald J, Iagnocco A, Liote F, McCarthy GM, Ramonda R, Richette P, Sivera F, Andres M, Cipolletta E, Doherty M, Pascual E, Perez-Ruiz F, So A, Jansen TL, Kohler MJ, Stamp LK, Yinh J, Adinolfi A, Arad U, Aung T, Benillouche E, Bortoluzzi A, Dau J, Maningding E, Fang MA, Figus FA, Filippucci E, Haslett J, Janssen M, Kaldas M, Kimoto M, Leamy K, Navarro GM, Sarzi-Puttini P, Scire C, Silvagni E, Sirotti S, Stack JR, Truong L, Xie C, Yokose C, Hendry AM, Terkeltaub R, Taylor WJ, Choi HK. The 2023 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease. Ann Rheum Dis. 2023 Oct;82(10):1248-1257. doi: 10.1136/ard-2023-224575. Epub 2023 Jul 26.

    PMID: 37495237BACKGROUND
  • Tedeschi SK, Huang W, Yoshida K, Solomon DH. Risk of cardiovascular events in patients having had acute calcium pyrophosphate crystal arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2022 Aug 11;81(9):1323-1329. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2022-222387.

    PMID: 35613842BACKGROUND
  • Kwan A, Ingrid E, Jiang M, Lim KKT. The cardiovascular risk of JAK inhibitors in treating rheumatic diseases. Int J Rheum Dis. 2024 Aug;27(8):e15308. doi: 10.1111/1756-185X.15308. No abstract available.

    PMID: 39187987BACKGROUND
  • Ytterberg SR, Bhatt DL, Mikuls TR, Koch GG, Fleischmann R, Rivas JL, Germino R, Menon S, Sun Y, Wang C, Shapiro AB, Kanik KS, Connell CA; ORAL Surveillance Investigators. Cardiovascular and Cancer Risk with Tofacitinib in Rheumatoid Arthritis. N Engl J Med. 2022 Jan 27;386(4):316-326. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2109927.

    PMID: 35081280BACKGROUND
  • Damart J, Filippou G, Andres M, Cipolletta E, Sirotti S, Carboni D, Filippucci E, Diez P, Abhishek A, Latourte A, Ea HK, Ottaviani S, Letarouilly JG, Desbarbieux R, Graf S, Norberciak L, Richette P, Pascart T. Retention, safety and efficacy of off-label conventional treatments and biologics for chronic calcium pyrophosphate crystal inflammatory arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2024 Feb 1;63(2):446-455. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kead228.

    PMID: 37216917BACKGROUND
  • Zhang W, Doherty M, Pascual E, Barskova V, Guerne PA, Jansen TL, Leeb BF, Perez-Ruiz F, Pimentao J, Punzi L, Richette P, Sivera F, Uhlig T, Watt I, Bardin T. EULAR recommendations for calcium pyrophosphate deposition. Part II: management. Ann Rheum Dis. 2011 Apr;70(4):571-5. doi: 10.1136/ard.2010.139360. Epub 2011 Jan 20.

    PMID: 21257614BACKGROUND
  • T Virtanen A, Haikarainen T, Raivola J, Silvennoinen O. Selective JAKinibs: Prospects in Inflammatory and Autoimmune Diseases. BioDrugs. 2019 Feb;33(1):15-32. doi: 10.1007/s40259-019-00333-w.

    PMID: 30701418BACKGROUND
  • Guerne PA, Terkeltaub R, Zuraw B, Lotz M. Inflammatory microcrystals stimulate interleukin-6 production and secretion by human monocytes and synoviocytes. Arthritis Rheum. 1989 Nov;32(11):1443-52. doi: 10.1002/anr.1780321114.

    PMID: 2554932BACKGROUND
  • Punzi L, Oliviero F, Ramonda R. Transforming growth factor-beta levels in synovial fluid of osteoarthritis with or without calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystals. J Rheumatol. 2003 Feb;30(2):420; author reply 420-1. No abstract available.

    PMID: 12583352BACKGROUND
  • Martinon F, Petrilli V, Mayor A, Tardivel A, Tschopp J. Gout-associated uric acid crystals activate the NALP3 inflammasome. Nature. 2006 Mar 9;440(7081):237-41. doi: 10.1038/nature04516. Epub 2006 Jan 11.

    PMID: 16407889BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

ChondrocalcinosisArthritis

Interventions

baricitinibMethylprednisoloneAdrenal Cortex HormonesColchicineHydroxychloroquineMethotrexateFolic Acid

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Joint DiseasesMusculoskeletal DiseasesCrystal Arthropathies

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

PrednisolonePregnadienetriolsPregnadienesPregnanesSteroidsFused-Ring CompoundsPolycyclic CompoundsHormonesHormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone AntagonistsAlkaloidsHeterocyclic CompoundsChloroquineAminoquinolinesQuinolinesHeterocyclic Compounds, 2-RingHeterocyclic Compounds, Fused-RingAminopterinPterinsPteridines

Study Officials

  • Georgios Filippou, Assistant Professor

    IRCCS Galeazzi - Sant'Ambrogio Hospital

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Georgios Filippou, Assistant professor

CONTACT

Silvia Sirotti, researcher

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
phase 2
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
DOUBLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

November 4, 2024

First Posted

January 10, 2025

Study Start

January 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2027

Last Updated

January 10, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-01

Locations