Phase III Efficacy and Safety Study of Oleogel-S10 in Epidermolysis Bullosa

This was a Phase III, Efficacy and Safety Study of Oleogel-S10 in Participants with Inherited Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB).

EB is a rare group of genetic skin fragility disorders characterised by blistering of the skin in response to minor injury. In most cases, onset of EB is at birth or shortly after. All participants affected by any type of EB share the main characteristic of repeatedly developing painful wounds that take days to months to heal. Current treatment of EB is primarily preventative and supportive including protection from mechanical forces by avoiding rubbing, early treatment of wounds to prevent infections, and protection of the wound with adequate non-adhesive dressings to enable healing.

The active pharmaceutical ingredient in Oleogel-S10 is a refined birch bark extract, quantified to 72 to 88% betulin.

This clinical study of Oleogel-S10 in patients with inherited EB has been carried out to investigate whether Oleogel-S10 is effective for treatment of EB wounds and safe for long-term use.

Oleogel-S10 was compared to a control gel. The control gel matched Oleogel-S10 in terms of texture and visual appearance to allow for double-blinding. The packaging for Oleogel-S10 gel and the control gel were identical. The participant received either Oleogel-S10 or control gel for a double-blind study phase of 90 days. The probability that the participant received Oleogel-S10 was 50%, which means that they had a 1 in 2 chance of receiving Oleogel-S10. However, in the follow-up phase of the study all participants were treated with Oleogel-S10 for a period of 24 months.

This clinical study was performed at 49 study sites in 26 countries (Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong \[China\], Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and the United States); 223 participants participated in total.


Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Male and female patients with the following subtypes of inherited EB: junctional EB (JEB), dystrophic EB (DEB), and Kindler EB aged ≥21 days
* Patients with an EB target wound (i.e., EB partial thickness wound of 10 cm² to 50 cm² in size aged ≥21 days and \<9 months)
* Patient and/or his/her legal representative has/have been informed, has/have read and understood the patient information/informed consent form, and has/have given written informed consent
* Patient and/or his/her legal representative must be able and willing to follow study procedures and instructions

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patient has EB simplex
* EB target wound that is ≥9 months old or has clinical signs of local infection
* Use of systemic antibiotics for wound-related infections within 7 days prior to enrolment
* Administration of systemic or topical steroids (except for inhaled, ophthalmic or topical applications, such as budesonide suspension for oesophageal strictures \[e.g., Pulmicort respules® 0.25 mg/2 mL or 0.5 mg/2 mL\]) within 30 days before enrolment
* Immunosuppressive therapy or cytotoxic chemotherapy within 60 days prior to enrolment
* Patient has undergone stem cell transplant or gene therapy for the treatment of inherited EB
* Current and/or former malignancy including basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas
* Enrolment in any interventional study or treated with any investigational drug for any disease within 4 weeks prior to study entry
* Factors present in the patient and/or his/her legal representative that could interfere with study compliance such as inability to attend scheduled study visits or compliance with home dressing changes
* Pregnant or nursing women and women of childbearing potential including postmenarchal female adolescents not willing to use an effective form of birth control with failure rates \<1% per year (e.g., implant, injectable, combined oral contraceptive, intrauterine contraceptive device, sexual abstinence, vasectomised partner) during participation in the study (and at least 3 months thereafter)
* Patient is a member of the investigational team or his/her immediate family
* Patient lives in the same household as a study participant