Endovenous Corticosteroid Pulses in Moderate Ulcerative Colitis

Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of high-dose corticosteroid pulses added to conventional oral corticosteroid course for moderate flares of ulcerative colitis.

Timeline

Start

2018-10-11

Primary completion

2022-11-07

Completion

2022-11-07

Outcome

Missed primary endpoint

Stopped (Enrollment): “slow recruitment rate”

registry analysis (superiority test); Methylprednisolone & Prednisone vs Prednisone; p = 0.05; Mean Difference (Final Values) 16.2; Chi-squared NCT02921555 ↗

paper being not significantly different between both study groups (23% [95%CI: 14%-32%] CT vs. 33% [95%CI: 21%-45%] AP; P = 0.323). PMID 41258993 ↗

Publications

• Background Dignass A, Lindsay JO, Sturm A, Windsor A, Colombel JF, Allez M, D'Haens G, D'Hoore A, Mantzaris G, Novacek G, Oresland T, Reinisch W, Sans M, Stange E, Vermeire S, Travis S, Van Assche G. Second European evidence-based consensus on the diagnosis and management of ulcerative colitis part 2: current management. J Crohns Colitis. 2012 Dec;6(10):991-1030. doi: 10.1016/j.crohns.2012.09.002. Epub 2012 Oct 3. No abstract available.
• Background BARON JH, CONNELL AM, KANAGHINIS TG, LENNARD-JONES JE, JONES AF. Out-patient treatment of ulcerative colitis. Comparison between three doses of oral prednisone. Br Med J. 1962 Aug 18;2(5302):441-3. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.5302.441. No abstract available.
• Background Hawthorne AB, Record CO, Holdsworth CD, Giaffer MH, Burke DA, Keech ML, Hawkey CJ. Double blind trial of oral fluticasone propionate v prednisolone in the treatment of active ulcerative colitis. Gut. 1993 Jan;34(1):125-8. doi: 10.1136/gut.34.1.125.
• Background Sood A, Midha V, Sood N, Kaushal V, Awasthi G. Methylprednisolone acetate versus oral prednisolone in moderately active ulcerative colitis. Indian J Gastroenterol. 2002 Jan-Feb;21(1):11-3.
• Background Ardizzone S, Cassinotti A, Duca P, Mazzali C, Penati C, Manes G, Marmo R, Massari A, Molteni P, Maconi G, Porro GB. Mucosal healing predicts late outcomes after the first course of corticosteroids for newly diagnosed ulcerative colitis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2011 Jun;9(6):483-489.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2010.12.028. Epub 2010 Dec 31.
• Background Elliott PR, Powell-Tuck J, Gillespie PE, Laidlow JM, Lennard-Jones JE, English J, Chakraborty J, Marks V. Prednisolone absorption in acute colitis. Gut. 1980 Jan;21(1):49-51. doi: 10.1136/gut.21.1.49.
• Background Garcia-Planella E, Manosa M, Van Domselaar M, Gordillo J, Zabana Y, Cabre E, Lopez San Roman A, Domenech E. Long-term outcome of ulcerative colitis in patients who achieve clinical remission with a first course of corticosteroids. Dig Liver Dis. 2012 Mar;44(3):206-10. doi: 10.1016/j.dld.2011.10.004. Epub 2011 Nov 11.
• Background Rhodes JM, Robinson R, Beales I, Pugh S, Dickinson R, Dronfield M, Speirs CJ, Wilkinson P, Wilkinson SP. Clinical trial: oral prednisolone metasulfobenzoate (Predocol) vs. oral prednisolone for active ulcerative colitis. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2008 Feb 1;27(3):228-40. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2007.03569.x. Epub 2007 Nov 6.
• Background Berghouse LM, Elliott PR, Lennard-Jones JE, English J, Marks V. Plasma prednisolone levels during intravenous therapy in acute colitis. Gut. 1982 Nov;23(11):980-83. doi: 10.1136/gut.23.11.980.
• Background Llao J, Naves JE, Ruiz-Cerulla A, Marin L, Manosa M, Rodriguez-Alonso L, Cabre E, Garcia-Planella E, Guardiola J, Domenech E. Intravenous corticosteroids in moderately active ulcerative colitis refractory to oral corticosteroids. J Crohns Colitis. 2014 Nov;8(11):1523-8. doi: 10.1016/j.crohns.2014.06.010. Epub 2014 Jul 22.
• Background Ponticelli C, Glassock RJ, Moroni G. Induction and maintenance therapy in proliferative lupus nephritis. J Nephrol. 2010 Jan-Feb;23(1):9-16.
• Background Oshitani N, Kamata N, Ooiso R, Kawashima D, Inagawa M, Sogawa M, Iimuro M, Jinno Y, Watanabe K, Higuchi K, Matsumoto T, Arakawa T. Outpatient treatment of moderately severe active ulcerative colitis with pulsed steroid therapy and conventional steroid therapy. Dig Dis Sci. 2003 May;48(5):1002-5. doi: 10.1023/a:1023076318751.
• Background Sood A, Midha V, Sood N, Awasthi G. A prospective, open-label trial assessing dexamethasone pulse therapy in moderate to severe ulcerative colitis. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2002 Oct;35(4):328-31. doi: 10.1097/00004836-200210000-00009.
• Background Nagata S, Shimizu T, Kudo T, Tomomasa T, Tajiri H, Yoden A, Kagimoto S, Tahara T, Ushijima K, Uchida K, Kobayashi A. Efficacy and safety of pulse steroid therapy in Japanese pediatric patients with ulcerative colitis: a survey of the Japanese Society for Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Digestion. 2010;81(3):188-92. doi: 10.1159/000255379. Epub 2010 Jan 19.
• Background Kudo T, Nagata S, Ohtani K, Fujii T, Wada M, Haruna H, Shoji H, Ohtsuka Y, Shimizu T, Yamashiro Y. Pulse steroids as induction therapy for children with ulcerative colitis. Pediatr Int. 2011 Dec;53(6):974-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-200X.2011.03405.x.
• Llao J, Manosa M, Martin-Arranz E, Zabana Y, Navarro-Llavat M, Teller M, Garcia-Planella E, Busquets D, Monfort D, Pineda JR, Gutierrez A, Villoria A, Menchen L, Bastida G, Garcia-Alonso FJ, Rivero M, Chaparro M, de Francisco R, Merino O, Rodriguez-Lago I, Barreiro-de Acosta M, Rodriguez-Fortunez P, Rodriguez-Jimenez C, Calafat M, Domenech E; CECUM study group of the GETECCU. Addition of pulse corticosteroids to oral prednisone in moderately active ulcerative colitis: a randomized, multicentre, open-label study by GETECCU. J Crohns Colitis. 2025 Dec 5;19(11):jjaf182. doi: 10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjaf182.

Drugs

Evaluation	Drug	Modality	Dose	Route
Subject	Methylprednisolone	Other / unclassified	0.5 g	Intravenous
Background	Prednisone	Other / unclassified	60 mg	Oral

Indications