Clinical trial NCT01585025: Obeticholic Acid in Bile Acid Diarrhoea
Official title: Obeticholic Acid Treatment in Patients With Bile Acid Diarrhoea: an Open-label, Pilot Study of Mechanisms, Safety and Symptom Response.
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE2
Conditions: Primary Bile Acid Malabsorption
Secondary Bile Acid Malabsorption
Chronic Diarrhoea
Keywords: Primary bile acid malabsorption
Secondary bile acid malabsorption
Chronic diarrhoea
Obeticholic acid
SeHCAT
FXR
FGF19
Lead sponsor: Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2012-04-25
Enrollment: 35
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 80
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The investigators propose to develop studies of obeticholic acid (OCA) in patients with bile acid diarrhoea. OCA is a semisynthetic bile acid, also known as 6αethylchenodeoxycholic acid or INT747,and is a potent farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonist. Preliminary data suggests that patients with bile acid diarrhoea have impaired production of the ileal hormone Fibroblast Growth Factor 19 (FGF19). FGF19 is stimulated by FXR agonists, and regulates bile acid synthesis. This study is a pilot, proof-of-concept, open-label study to investigate whether OCA can stimulate FGF19 in bile acid diarrhoea patients to provide a safe and effective treatment.

Detailed description: Bile acid diarrhoea (BAD) is an under-recognised but common condition of chronic watery diarrhoea. BAD may be secondary to ileal disease affecting the reabsorption and the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids (bile acid malabsorption) or can be an idiopathic, primary BAD (PBAD). In work published in 2009, we described a new mechanism to explain this syndrome of primary BAD.

Blood levels of the hormone fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) are reduced in primary and secondary BAD, producing impaired feedback inhibition of bile acid synthesis, leading to excess faecal bile acids, which then produce diarrhoea by stimulating colonic secretion. FGF19 is synthesised in the ileum and we have shown transcription is markedly induced by farnesoid X receptor(FXR) agonists such as chenodeoxycholic acid, an abundant natural bile acid. More potent FXR agonists are logical diagnostic and therapeutic agents for this condition, and obeticholic acid (OCA), which is 100x more potent than chenodeoxycholic acid, has recently been developed. It has been used in phase II studies in primary biliary cirrhosis and in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis where a relatively common side-effect was constipation.

We aim to investigate the effects of OCA in patients with primary and secondary BAD to determine whether FGF19 is able to be stimulated in these conditions. We will compare these responses to those in control patients with chronic diarrhoea but without evidence of BAD. It is possible in BAD that the defect in FGF19 levels is due to an inability to respond to FXR stimulation (particularly likely in secondary BAD after ileal resection). Patients with primary BAD may be able to respond and benefit from an increase in FGF19 levels.

This study aims to obtain pilot data on the effects of OCA on FGF19, other markers of bile acid metabolism and patient symptoms including diarrhoea. These are early phase II, proof of concept studies.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria Patients aged 18 - 80 who present at routine Gastrointestinal Outpatient Clinics at Hammersmith and Charing Cross Hospitals with chronic diarrhoea, defined as an average stool frequency of at least three per day, of Bristol Stool Type 6 or 7, for at least 3 months. Previous routine SeHCAT testing to establish the presence or absence of bile acid diarrhoea (BAD) unless there is evidence of TI disease/ resection. BAD will be defined as SeHCAT 7-day retention of less than 15% or diarrhoea in presence of TI disease/ resection. Study subjects will be grouped as having secondary BAD, due to ileal resection or Crohn's disease, or primary BAD, with no obvious cause. The third, control group having chronic diarrhoea but with normal SeHCAT retention (greater than 15%).

Female patients must be postmenopausal, surgically sterile, or if premenopausal, be prepared to use ≥ 1 effective (≤ 1% failure rate) method of contraception during the trial and for 15 days after the last dose of OCA. Male subjects with female partners of childbearing potential must use ≥ 1 effective method of contraception. Effective methods of contraception are considered to be: 1. Established use of oral, injected or implanted hormonal methods of contraception. 2. Placement of an intrauterine device (IUD) or intrauterine system (IUS). 3. Barrier methods of contraception: Condom or Occlusive cap (diaphragm or cervical/vault caps) with spermicidal foam/gel/film/cream/suppository. 4. Male sterilisation (with the appropriate post-vasectomy documentation of the absence of sperm in the ejaculate). 5. True abstinence: When this is in line with the preferred and usual lifestyle of the subject.

Exclusion Criteria

* Patients with other diagnoses leading to diarrhoea, including colorectal neoplasia, ulcerative colitis, coeliac disease, chronic pancreatitis, drug-induced diarrhoea or active infection.
* Patients who have not been investigated by standard clinical assessments to exclude these disorders.
* Treatment with bile acid sequestrants (colestyramine, colestipol, colesevelam) for 2 weeks before the first dose of OCA. Loperamide use will be allowed up to 16mg/d in divided doses.
* Previous biliary surgery, excluding cholecystectomy.
* Abnormal bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alkaline phosphatase on more than 1 occasion.
* Chronic liver disease
* Chronic kidney disease
* Active, serious medical disease with likely life expectancy less than 5 years
* Active substance abuse including inhaled or injection drugs in the year prior to screening
* Allergy to obeticholic acid.
* Pregnancy, planned pregnancy, potential for pregnancy and unwillingness to use effective birth control during the trial, breast feeding. Pregnancy will be assessed with urinary β-hCG pregnancy test.
* Participation in an investigational new drug trial in the 30 days before randomisation
* Any other condition which, in the opinion of the investigator, would impede compliance or hinder completion of the study
* Failure to give informed consent

Primary outcomes:
measure: Changes in Fasting FGF19
timeFrame: Day 0, Day 15
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Changes in Non-fasting Response of FGF19 to OCA
timeFrame: Day 0, Day 15
measure: Changes in Fasting 7α-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one
timeFrame: Day 0, Day 15
measure: Changes in Serum Total Bile Acids.
timeFrame: Day 0, Day 15
measure: Changes in Stool Frequency
timeFrame: Week 2, Week 4
measure: Changes in Mean Stool Form
timeFrame: Week 2, Week 4
measure: Change in Stool Index
timeFrame: Week 2, Week 4
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: London
country: United Kingdom
facility: Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
city: London
country: United Kingdom
facility: Hammersmith Hospital
Study officials:
affiliation: Imperial College London
name: Julian RF Walters, MBBS MA FRCP
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Wedlake L, A'Hern R, Russell D, Thomas K, Walters JR, Andreyev HJ. Systematic review: the prevalence of idiopathic bile acid malabsorption as diagnosed by SeHCAT scanning in patients with diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2009 Oct;30(7):707-17. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2009.04081.x. Epub 2009 Jun 30.
citation: Hofmann AF. The syndrome of ileal disease and the broken enterohepatic circulation: cholerheic enteropathy. Gastroenterology. 1967 Apr;52(4):752-7. No abstract available.
citation: Walters JR, Tasleem AM, Omer OS, Brydon WG, Dew T, le Roux CW. A new mechanism for bile acid diarrhea: defective feedback inhibition of bile acid biosynthesis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2009 Nov;7(11):1189-94. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2009.04.024. Epub 2009 May 6.
citation: Hofmann AF, Mangelsdorf DJ, Kliewer SA. Chronic diarrhea due to excessive bile acid synthesis and not defective ileal transport: a new syndrome of defective fibroblast growth factor 19 release. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2009 Nov;7(11):1151-4. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2009.07.026. Epub 2009 Aug 7. No abstract available.
citation: Oelkers P, Kirby LC, Heubi JE, Dawson PA. Primary bile acid malabsorption caused by mutations in the ileal sodium-dependent bile acid transporter gene (SLC10A2). J Clin Invest. 1997 Apr 15;99(8):1880-7. doi: 10.1172/JCI119355.
citation: Montagnani M, Love MW, Rossel P, Dawson PA, Qvist P. Absence of dysfunctional ileal sodium-bile acid cotransporter gene mutations in patients with adult-onset idiopathic bile acid malabsorption. Scand J Gastroenterol. 2001 Oct;36(10):1077-80. doi: 10.1080/003655201750422693.
citation: Makishima M, Okamoto AY, Repa JJ, Tu H, Learned RM, Luk A, Hull MV, Lustig KD, Mangelsdorf DJ, Shan B. Identification of a nuclear receptor for bile acids. Science. 1999 May 21;284(5418):1362-5. doi: 10.1126/science.284.5418.1362.
citation: Inagaki T, Choi M, Moschetta A, Peng L, Cummins CL, McDonald JG, Luo G, Jones SA, Goodwin B, Richardson JA, Gerard RD, Repa JJ, Mangelsdorf DJ, Kliewer SA. Fibroblast growth factor 15 functions as an enterohepatic signal to regulate bile acid homeostasis. Cell Metab. 2005 Oct;2(4):217-25. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2005.09.001.
citation: Lundasen T, Galman C, Angelin B, Rudling M. Circulating intestinal fibroblast growth factor 19 has a pronounced diurnal variation and modulates hepatic bile acid synthesis in man. J Intern Med. 2006 Dec;260(6):530-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2796.2006.01731.x.
citation: Brydon WG, Nyhlin H, Eastwood MA, Merrick MV. Serum 7 alpha-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one and selenohomocholyltaurine (SeHCAT) whole body retention in the assessment of bile acid induced diarrhoea. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 1996 Feb;8(2):117-23. doi: 10.1097/00042737-199602000-00005.
citation: Johnston I, Nolan J, Pattni SS, Walters JR. New insights into bile acid malabsorption. Curr Gastroenterol Rep. 2011 Oct;13(5):418-25. doi: 10.1007/s11894-011-0219-3.
citation: Walters JR, Johnston IM, Nolan JD, Vassie C, Pruzanski ME, Shapiro DA. The response of patients with bile acid diarrhoea to the farnesoid X receptor agonist obeticholic acid. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2015 Jan;41(1):54-64. doi: 10.1111/apt.12999. Epub 2014 Oct 20.