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NCT Number: NCT06922669

Glucocorticoids for Acute Drug Induced Liver Injury With Hyperbilirubinemia

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) can lead to potentially fatal complications, such as acute liver failure and even death. In clinical practice, glucocorticoids have been considered in some cases of DILI, especially patients with hyperbilirubinemia. However, the available evidence remains controversial and its quality is also very limited. Herein, a multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) has been designed to explore the efficacy and safety of glucocorticoids in patients with acute DILI and hyperbilirubinemia.

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Key information

Age range

18 year–80 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command (formerly called General Hospital of Shenyang Military Area)

Shenyang, Liaoning, 110840, China

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Qianqian Li

CONTACT

[email protected]

13940307473

Xingshun Qi

CONTACT

[email protected]

18909881019

About this study

Overall, 232 patients with acute DILI with hyperbilirubinemia will be enrolled. They will be randomly assigned at a ratio of 1:1 to the conventional treatment alone or combined with glucocorticoids groups. The primary endpoint is the improvement of DILI after treatment on second week. Secondary endpoints include the improvement of DILI on fourth week, rates of progressive liver injury, liver failure, liver transplantation, survival, and adverse events. Exploratory endpoints will assess the beneficial population and changes of inflammatory factors following glucocorticoid treatment.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • A definite diagnosis of acute DILI;
  • 5×ULN ≤ TBIL level at baseline ≤ 20×ULN;
  • Age 18-80 years old;
  • Sign the informed consent form.

Exclusion criteria

  • Other causes of liver injury, including viral hepatitis, cytomegalovirus infection, Epstein-Barr virus infection, Herpes virus infection, autoimmune liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, hypoxic/ischemic liver disease, Budd-Chiari syndrome, biliary tract disease, Wilson's disease, hemochromatosis, and α1-antitrypsin deficiency;
  • Immune checkpoint inhibitors or gynura segetum induced DILI;
  • Absolute contraindications to glucocorticoids, such as systemic mold infections or allergies;
  • A history of glucocorticoid therapy within 3 months before enrollment;
  • A history of diseases requiring glucocorticoid maintenance therapy, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic dermatomyositis, etc;
  • A history of liver transplantation;
  • Received artificial liver therapy before enrollment;
  • Malignant tumor of the liver, bile duct, pancreas or liver metastasis
  • Acute liver failure;
  • Renal dysfunction, creatinine Cr≥133μmol/L;
  • Neutrophil count <1,000,000,000/L;
  • Active tuberculosis;
  • Severe cardiopulmonary diseases;
  • Recent surgery or trauma;
  • Mental illness;
  • Pregnancy or lactation;
  • Participated in other clinical studies within 3 months before enrollment;
  • Other conditions judged by the clinician to be inappropriate for study participation.

Treatment and study plan

methylprednisolone

Drug

Initially, an intravenous dose of 1 mg/kg/day of methylprednisolone will be administered for one week, with the possibility of extending treatment to two weeks if necessary. Following this, participants will receive oral methylprednisolone tablets, starting at a dose of 40 mg/day. The oral dosage will be gradually tapered based on the participants' condition over a period of 1 to 3 months.

Other names: Medrol

Magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate

Drug

It is suitable for patients with hepatocellular or mixed DILI. A daily dose of 0.15g to 0.2g

Glutathione

Drug

It is suitable for patients with hepatocellular or mixed DILI. A daily dose of 1.2g to 1.8g

Silymarin

Drug

It is suitable for patients with hepatocellular or mixed DILI. The dosage is 140 mg, taken 2 to 3 times per day.

Other names: Legalon

polyene phosphatidylcholine

Drug

It is suitable for patients with hepatocellular or mixed DILI. The dosage is 228mg-456mg, taken 3 times per day.

Other names: Essentiale

Ursodeoxycholic Acid Capsules

Drug

It is suitable for patients with cholestatic or mixed DILI. A daily dose of 10mg-15mg/kg/day.

Other names: Ursofalk

Ademetionine 1,4-Butanedisulfonate

Drug

It is suitable for patients with cholestatic or mixed DILI. A daily dose of 0.5g to 1g.

Other names: Transmeti

Plaslna exchange

Procedure

It is suitable for patients whose condition continues to worsen or even develop to liver failure.

Other names: Artificial liver support

Liver Transplantation

Procedure

It is suitable for patients whose condition continues to worsen or even develop to liver failure.

Primary outcomes

  1. Improvement of DILI on the second week

    Time frame: 2 weeks

    TBIL level decreases by 50% as compared to the baseline level.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Improvement of DILI on the fourth week

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    TBIL level decreases by 50% as compared to the baseline level.

  2. Progressive liver injury on the second week

    Time frame: 2 weeks

    TBIL level increases as compared to the baseline level.

  3. Progressive liver injury on the fourth week

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    TBIL level increases as compared to the baseline level.

  4. Improvement of liver enzymes on the second week

    Time frame: 2 weeks

    Proportion of 50% reduction from baseline in ALT, AST, ALP, and GGT levels.

  5. Improvement of liver enzymes on the fourth week

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Proportion of 50% reduction from baseline in ALT, AST, ALP, and GGT levels.

  6. Liver failure

    Time frame: 3 months

    Participants develop overt hepatic encephalopathy with an INR of ≥1.5.

  7. Liver transplantation

    Time frame: 3 months

    Participants undergo liver transplantation due to liver failure.

  8. Survival

    Time frame: 3 months

    All participants will be followed by telephone to record survival status, including the major cause and date of death.

  9. Adverse events

    Time frame: 3 months

    Adverse events related to glucocorticoids mainly include infection, water-sodium retention, Cushing syndrome, poor glycemic, gastrointestinal ulcer, thromboembolic disease, neuropsychiatric symptoms, osteoporosis, increased intraocular pressure, and withdrawal syndrome. They will be closely recorded during the period of glucocorticoids treatment.

Other outcomes

  1. Population who will be more suitable for glucocorticoids treatment

    Time frame: 3 months

    Characteristics of patients with DILI in whom glucocorticoids treatment is more beneficial.

  2. Changes of inflammatory factors

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Changes of IL-6 and TNF-α levels.

Study contacts

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

Qianqian Li

CONTACT

[email protected]

13940307473

Xingshun Qi

CONTACT

[email protected]

18909881019

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Efficacy and Safety of Glucocorticoids for Acute Drug Induced Liver Injury With Hyperbilirubinemia: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Apr 10, 2025
Registry last updated
Dec 18, 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.

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