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NCT Number: NCT07260877

A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 2a Study With an Open-Label Extension Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of VENT-03 in Adult Participants With Active Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus With or Without Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if VENT-03 works to treat patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) who may or may not have systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Another goal is to learn about the safety of VENT-03 and how it is processed by the body. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does VENT-03 affect the activity and severity of CLE? * What side effects do participants have when taking VENT-03?

Researchers will compare VENT-03 to a placebo (a look-alike substance that contains no drug) to see if VENT-03 works to treat patients with CLE.

Participants will:

* Take VENT-03 or a placebo for 4 weeks, then all participants will switch to VENT-03 for another 8 weeks; * Visit the clinic once a month for checkups and tests.

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Key information

Age range

18 year–80 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

Investigative Site, Haskovo, Bulgaria

Loading trial locations.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Key Inclusion Criteria:

  • Cutaneous lupus:
  • CLASI-A score ≥8;
  • At least 1 active discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) lesion, OR at least 1 active subacute CLE lesion
  • If participant has previous SLE diagnosis:
  • Positive antinuclear antibody test at Screening by immunofluorescent assay at the central laboratory with titer ≥ 1:80;
  • Meets the American College of Rheumatology/ European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology 2019 criteria for SLE; and
  • Currently receiving at least one of the specified SLE medication treatments, at stable doses.

Key Exclusion Criteria:

  • Meet protocol-specified infection or lab criteria; any other laboratory test results that, in the investigator's opinion, might place participant at unacceptable risk for participating in this study;
  • Moderate or severe liver impairment as classified by the Child-Pugh criteria (categories B and C);
  • Has drug-induced lupus, rather than 'idiopathic' lupus;
  • History of, or current, inflammatory joint or skin disease other than SLE and cutaneous lupus;
  • Diagnosis of select potentially confounding autoimmune disorders
  • Active severe or unstable neuropsychiatric SLE;
  • Hospitalization for a severe lupus flare in the past 3 months, or active severe SLE-driven disease, including lupus nephritis, for which in the opinion of the PI the protocol-specified SOC is insufficient;
  • History of or current diagnosis of anti-phospholipid syndrome;
  • History of any non-lupus disease that has required treatment with oral or parenteral corticosteroids for more than a total of 2 weeks within the last 24 weeks prior to Day 1;
  • Meets protocol specified medical history of infectious diseases and infections and/or opportunistic infection requiring hospitalization or parenteral antimicrobial treatment within specified timeframes;
  • Cancer screening results suspicious of malignancy or history of cancer within time specified with exceptions for curative therapy for squamous or basil cell carcinoma and cervical cancer in situ; and
  • Meets protocol specified exclusions related to concomitant medications.

Treatment and study plan

VENT-03

Drug

VENT-03 is a tablet

Placebo

Drug

Placebo is a tablet

Primary outcomes

  1. Evaluate the effect of VENT-03 on the interferon gene signature in the skin

    Time frame: Baseline to End of Double-Blind Treatment (up to Day 28)

    Percent change from baseline in interferon gene signature in the skin at Day 28

Secondary outcomes

  1. Evaluate the effect of VENT-03 on CLE disease severity

    Time frame: Baseline to End of Double-Blind Treatment (up to Day 28)

    Percent change from baseline in CLASI-A score at Day 28

  2. Evaluate effect of VENT-03 on CLE disease severity

    Time frame: Baseline to End of Double-Blind Treatment (up to Day 28)

    Percentage of participants achieving CLASI-A 50 response (≥ 50% improvement in CLASI A score compared with baseline) at Day 28

  3. Change from Baseline in Myxovirus-Resistant Protein A (MXA) Immunostaining in Skin Biopsy

    Time frame: Baseline to End of Treatment (up to Day 84)

  4. Number of participants with at least one Treatment Emergent Adverse Event (TEAE) and/or Serious Adverse Event (SAE)

    Time frame: Baseline to End of Treatment (up to Day 84)

    An adverse event (AE) is defined as any untoward medical occurrence in a clinical investigation participant administered a drug; it does not necessarily have to have a causal relationship with this treatment. An AE can therefore be any unfavorable and unintended sign (example, a clinically significant abnormal laboratory finding), symptom, or disease temporally associated with the use of a drug, whether or not it is considered related to the drug. A TEAE is defined as an AE with an onset that occurs after receiving study drug. An SAE is an adverse event resulting in any of the following outcomes or deemed significant for any other reason: death; initial or prolonged inpatient hospitalization; life-threatening experience (immediate risk of dying); persistent or significant disability/incapacity; congenital anomaly.

  5. Number of participants with Moderate or Severe Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs)

    Time frame: Baseline to End of Treatment (up to Day 84)

  6. Percentage of Participants with ≥ 1 Treatment Emergent Adverse Event (AE) leading to Treatment Discontinuation

    Time frame: Baseline to End of Treatment (up to Day 84)

  7. Cmax: Maximum Observed Plasma Concentration for VENT-03

    Time frame: Day 1 pre-dose and at multiple time points (up to 6 hours) post-dose; Day 28 pre-dose and post-dose; Day 56 and Day 84 pre-dose

  8. AUClast: Area Under the Plasma Concentration-Time Curve from Time 0 to the Time of the Last Quantifiable Concentration for VENT-03

    Time frame: Day 1 pre-dose and at multiple time points (up to 6 hours) post-dose; Day 28 pre-dose and post-dose; Day 56 and Day 84 pre-dose

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Krista Miller

CONTACT

[email protected]

913-410-2156

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Ventus Therapeutics U.S., Inc.

Industry

Registry information

Acronym: AERIS

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Dec 3, 2025
Registry last updated
Jul 27, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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