Safety, Efficacy and Pharmacokinetics of Doxycycline Plus Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid in Transthyretin Amyloidosis

Summary

This study is being conducted to explore the potential benefits of a twelve-month doxycycline (at the best tolerated dose of 200 mg/day) and tauroursodeoxycholic acid (750 mg/day) treatment on disease progression in patients affected by transthyretin amyloidosis, including: 1) patients not eligible for liver transplantation; 2) patients eligible for liver transplantation, as a "bridge" therapy between the time of diagnosis and surgery, with the aim of stabilizing the disease; 3) patients showing disease progression after liver transplantation performed since at least 1 year. It is a phase II, therapeutic exploratory, two-part, 18-month, single centre, prospective study. Part I is a 12-month, open label treatment period in which doxycycline (200 mg/day, continuously) and tauroursodeoxycholic acid (750 mg/day continuously) are administered to 40 consenting subjects with transthyretin amyloidosis. Part II is a withdrawal period in which subjects will be monitored for disease progression. During part I, subjects will be evaluated at baseline (study Day 0), and then after 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of doxycycline plus tauroursodeoxycholic acid treatment or at premature treatment discontinuation; during part II, they will be assessed at months 15 and 18. Monthly phone contacts and blood tests will be performed to monitor potential adverse events.

Timeline

Start

2010-07

Primary completion

2015-04

Completion

2015-10

Publications

• Background Cardoso I, Saraiva MJ. Doxycycline disrupts transthyretin amyloid: evidence from studies in a FAP transgenic mice model. FASEB J. 2006 Feb;20(2):234-9. doi: 10.1096/fj.05-4509com.
• Background Macedo B, Batista AR, Ferreira N, Almeida MR, Saraiva MJ. Anti-apoptotic treatment reduces transthyretin deposition in a transgenic mouse model of Familial Amyloidotic Polyneuropathy. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2008 Sep;1782(9):517-22. doi: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2008.05.005. Epub 2008 Jun 3.
• Background Cardoso I, Martins D, Ribeiro T, Merlini G, Saraiva MJ. Synergy of combined doxycycline/TUDCA treatment in lowering Transthyretin deposition and associated biomarkers: studies in FAP mouse models. J Transl Med. 2010 Jul 30;8:74. doi: 10.1186/1479-5876-8-74.

Drugs

Indications