Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05601882

A Study to Evaluate Adverse Events and Change in Disease Activity Comparing Oral Upadacitinib to Subcutaneous Dupilumab in Adolescent and Adult Participants With Moderate to Severe Atopic Dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a skin condition that may cause a rash and itching due to inflammation of the skin. Therapies spread over the skin may not be enough to control the AD in trial participants who require systemic anti-inflammatory treatment. This study compares upadacitinib to dupilumab in adolescent and adult participants with moderate to severe AD who have inadequate response to systemic therapies. Adverse events and change in the disease activity will be assessed.

Upadacitinib and dupilumab are approved drugs for the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD). The study is comprised of a 35-day Screening Period, a 16-week treatment Period 1 and a 16-week treatment Period 2. Participants are randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups called treatment arms to receive upadacitinib Dose A or dupilumab in Period 1. There is a 30-day or 12-week follow-up visit for those on upadacitinib or dupilumab respectively, who will not enter Period 2. In Period 2, participants will receive upadacitinib Dose A or Dose B for 16 weeks, followed by a 30-day follow-up visit. Approximately 880 adolescent and adult participants ages 12 to 64 with moderate to severe AD who are candidates for systemic therapy will be enrolled at up to 330 sites worldwide.

There may be higher treatment burden for participants in this trial compared to their standard of care . Participants will attend regular visits during the study at a hospital or clinic. The effect of the treatment will be checked by medical assessments, blood tests, checking for side effects and completing questionnaires.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Age range

12 year–64 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 3

Primary location

Premier Specialist /ID# 250572, Kogarah, New South Wales, Australia

Loading trial locations.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Chronic atopic dermatitis (AD) with onset of symptoms at least 3 years prior to baseline and participant meets Hanifin and Rajka criteria.
  • Eczema area and severity index (EASI) score ≥ 16;validated Investigator´s Global Assessment for AD (vIGA-AD) score ≥ 3 and ≥ 10% Body Surface Area Involvement of Atopic Dermatitis (BSA of AD) involvement at the Baseline Visit.
  • Baseline weekly average of daily Worst Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale (WP-NRS) ≥ 4.
  • Documented history of inadequate response to previous systemic treatment defined as documented history of previous inadequate response to at least one prior systemic treatment for AD OR for whom other systemic treatments are otherwise medically inadvisable.

Exclusion criteria

  • History of clinically significant (per investigator's judgment) drug or alcohol abuse within the last 6 months.
  • History of an organ transplant which requires continued immunosuppression.

Treatment and study plan

Dupilumab

Drug

Dupilumab is administered as a subcutaneous (SC) injection.

Other names: Dupixent®

Upadacitinib

Drug

Extended-release tablet

Other names: ABT-494, RINVOQ

Primary outcomes

  1. Percentage of Participants Achieving a ≥ 90% Reduction From Baseline in Eczema Area and Severity Index Score (EASI 90) and Worst Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale of 0 or 1 (WP-NRS 0/1) at Week 16

    Time frame: Baseline and Week 16

    The EASI is a composite index with scores ranging from 0 to 72. Four AD disease characteristics (erythema, thickness [induration, papulation, edema], scratching [excoriation], and lichenification) assessed for severity on a scale of "0" (absent) through "3" (severe). In addition, the area of AD involvement is assessed as a percentage by body area of head, trunk (including the genital area), upper extremities, and lower extremities (including the buttocks), and converted to a score of 0 to 6. In each body region, the area is expressed as 0, 1 (1% to 9%), 2 (10% to 29%), 3 (30% to 49%), 4 (50% to 69%), 5 (70% to 89%), or 6 (90% to 100%).

    The Worst Pruritus NRS is an assessment tool that participants used to report the intensity of their pruritus during a 24-hour recall period using an electronic hand-held device. Participants rated itch (pruritus) intensity at its worst during the past 24 hours on an 11-point scale from 0 (no itch) to 10 (worst imaginable itch).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Percentage of Participants Achieving a ≥ 90% Reduction From Baseline in Eczema Area and Severity Index Score (EASI 90) at Week 16

    Time frame: Baseline and Week 16

    The EASI is a composite index with scores ranging from 0 to 72. Four AD disease characteristics (erythema, thickness [induration, papulation, edema], scratching [excoriation], and lichenification) assessed for severity on a scale of "0" (absent) through "3" (severe). In addition, the area of AD involvement is assessed as a percentage by body area of head, trunk (including the genital area), upper extremities, and lower extremities (including the buttocks), and converted to a score of 0 to 6. In each body region, the area is expressed as 0, 1 (1% to 9%), 2 (10% to 29%), 3 (30% to 49%), 4 (50% to 69%), 5 (70% to 89%), or 6 (90% to 100%).

  2. Percentage of Participants Achieving a Worst Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale of 0 or 1 (WP-NRS 0/1) at Week 16 Among Participants With Baseline WP-NRS > 1

    Time frame: Baseline and Week 16

    The Worst Pruritus NRS is an assessment tool that participants used to report the intensity of their pruritus during a 24-hour recall period using an electronic hand-held device. Participants rated itch (pruritus) intensity at its worst during the past 24 hours on an 11-point scale from 0 (no itch) to 10 (worst imaginable itch).

  3. Percentage of Participants Achieving an Improvement (Reduction) in Worst Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale (WP-NRS) ≥ 4 at Week 16 Among Those With Baseline WP-NRS ≥ 4

    Time frame: Baseline and Week 16

    The Worst Pruritus NRS is an assessment tool that participants used to report the intensity of their pruritus during a 24-hour recall period using an electronic hand-held device. Participants rated itch (pruritus) intensity at its worst during the past 24 hours on an 11-point scale from 0 (no itch) to 10 (worst imaginable itch).

  4. Percentage of Participants Achieving a Worst Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale of 0 or 1 (WP-NRS 0/1) at Week 4 Among Participants With Baseline WP-NRS > 1

    Time frame: Baseline and Week 4

    The Worst Pruritus NRS is an assessment tool that participants used to report the intensity of their pruritus during a 24-hour recall period using an electronic hand-held device. Participants rated itch (pruritus) intensity at its worst during the past 24 hours on an 11-point scale from 0 (no itch) to 10 (worst imaginable itch).

  5. Percentage of Participants Achieving a Worst Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale of 0 or 1 (WP-NRS 0/1) at Week 2 Among Participants With Baseline WP-NRS > 1

    Time frame: Baseline and Week 2

    The Worst Pruritus NRS is an assessment tool that participants used to report the intensity of their pruritus during a 24-hour recall period using an electronic hand-held device. Participants rated itch (pruritus) intensity at its worst during the past 24 hours on an 11-point scale from 0 (no itch) to 10 (worst imaginable itch).

  6. Percentage of Participants Achieving a ≥ 90% Reduction From Baseline in Eczema Area and Severity Index Score (EASI 90) at Week 4

    Time frame: Baseline and Week 4

    The EASI is a composite index with scores ranging from 0 to 72. Four AD disease characteristics (erythema, thickness [induration, papulation, edema], scratching [excoriation], and lichenification) assessed for severity on a scale of "0" (absent) through "3" (severe). In addition, the area of AD involvement is assessed as a percentage by body area of head, trunk (including the genital area), upper extremities, and lower extremities (including the buttocks), and converted to a score of 0 to 6. In each body region, the area is expressed as 0, 1 (1% to 9%), 2 (10% to 29%), 3 (30% to 49%), 4 (50% to 69%), 5 (70% to 89%), or 6 (90% to 100%).

  7. Percentage of Participants Achieving a ≥ 75% Reduction From Baseline in Eczema Area and Severity Index Score (EASI 75) at Week 2

    Time frame: Baseline and Week 2

    The EASI is a composite index with scores ranging from 0 to 72. Four AD disease characteristics (erythema, thickness [induration, papulation, edema], scratching [excoriation], and lichenification) assessed for severity on a scale of "0" (absent) through "3" (severe). In addition, the area of AD involvement is assessed as a percentage by body area of head, trunk (including the genital area), upper extremities, and lower extremities (including the buttocks), and converted to a score of 0 to 6. In each body region, the area is expressed as 0, 1 (1% to 9%), 2 (10% to 29%), 3 (30% to 49%), 4 (50% to 69%), 5 (70% to 89%), or 6 (90% to 100%).

  8. Percentage of Participants Achieving a 100% Reduction From Baseline in Eczema Area and Severity Index Score (EASI 100) at Week 16

    Time frame: Baseline and Week 16

    The EASI is a composite index with scores ranging from 0 to 72. Four AD disease characteristics (erythema, thickness [induration, papulation, edema], scratching [excoriation], and lichenification) assessed for severity on a scale of "0" (absent) through "3" (severe). In addition, the area of AD involvement is assessed as a percentage by body area of head, trunk (including the genital area), upper extremities, and lower extremities (including the buttocks), and converted to a score of 0 to 6. In each body region, the area is expressed as 0, 1 (1% to 9%), 2 (10% to 29%), 3 (30% to 49%), 4 (50% to 69%), 5 (70% to 89%), or 6 (90% to 100%).

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

AbbVie

Industry

Registry information

Official study title

A Phase 3b/4 Randomized, Open-label, Efficacy Assessor Blinded Study, Comparing the Safety and Assessor Blinded Efficacy of Upadacitinib to Dupilumab in Subjects With Moderate to Severe Atopic Dermatitis (Level-Up)

Acronym: Level Up

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Nov 1, 2022
Registry last updated
Feb 14, 2025

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.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.