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NCT Number: NCT06976853

Moving Beyond Inflammation as a Therapeutic Target for Crohn's Disease

The purpose of this research study is to evaluate what type of treatment will be beneficial for people with Crohn's disease and difficult to treat inflammation in the small bowel. Current therapies are used to control the inflammation due to Crohn's disease in your digestive tract. In some patients, those therapies are not sufficient to fully treat the disease. This objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a different type of therapy, tirzepatide, that may promote healing of the affected intestinal segment. To evaluate the efficacy of this medication, a member of the research team will ask patients questions about how they feel and observe whether this medication heals the their bowel at colonoscopy. A member of the research team will also use blood samples, stool samples and samples of the small intestine taken during a colonoscopy to understand how tirzepatide helps heal the intestine.

Recruiting

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Key information

Conditions

Crohn Disease (CD) Crohn Disease Digestive System Diseases Gastroenteritis Gastrointestinal Diseases Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Intestinal Diseases

Age range

18 year–80 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Beverly Hills, California, United States

Loading trial locations.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Subjects 18 to 80 years of age, inclusive, at the time of consent
  • Confirmed diagnosis of Crohn's disease based on documented findings on endoscopy and histopathology
  • Active ileal or ileocolonic inflammation on colonoscopy defined as
  • Ileal SES-CD > 4 with ulcer subscore > 1 (ulcers > 5mm)
  • Failure to respond to (primary or secondary non-response) at least 2 advanced class drugs, without evidence of immunogenicity (anti-TNFa only). Must have been at least 6 months optimized on most recent therapy without corticosteroids.
  • Anti-TNF: Infliximab, Adalimumab, Certolizumab, Golimumab
  • Anti-integrin agent: vedolizumab
  • Anti-IL12/23 agent: Ustekinumab
  • Anti-IL23: Risankizumab, Guselkumab, Mirikizumab
  • JAK inhibitor: Upadacitinib
  • In post surgical patients, must be at least 6 months post-op with endoscopic evidence of ileal disease
  • In females: compliance to recommended birth control requirements

Exclusion criteria

  • Age < 18 or > 80 years
  • Pregnant or Breastfeeding female
  • Diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, indeterminate colitis, microscopic colitis, ischemic colitis, radiation colitis, diverticular disease-associated colitis, toxic megacolon, active infectious colitis or positive test for Clostridioides Difficile toxin at screening
  • BMI < 25
  • Current or previous diagnosis of anorexia nervosa
  • Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes
  • Use of concomitant hypoglycemic agents
  • Personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma
  • History of multiple endocrine neoplasia
  • Known serious hypersensitivity to tirzepatide or any of its excipients
  • Have functional or post-operative short-bowel syndrome
  • Had intestinal resection ≤ 24 weeks prior to inclusion or other intra-abdominal surgeries ≤ 12 weeks prior to study inclusion
  • Active treatment with steroids*
  • Positive stool test for parasites, C. Diff or stool culture for pathologic bacteria within 30 days prior to enrollment
  • Current stricture not passable with an endoscope
  • Impending need for surgery per investigator
  • Have an ileostomy or a colostomy
  • In females: refusal to comply to recommended birth control requirements *Corticosteroids have metabolic and hormonal effects which we are concerned may interfere with study outcomes and metabolic changes in the population. This exclusion criteria will allow the study population to be standardized across all patients

Treatment and study plan

Tirzepatide

Drug

Addition of tirzepatide to current biological therapy

Standard of Care Treatment

Drug

Intervention will be to change patient's current therapy to a 3rd or later advanced biologic patient have never been exposed to

Primary outcomes

  1. Proportion and number of participants who have treatment emergent adverse events, serious adverse events, discontinuation of study intervention due to adverse events and injection-site reactions by CTCAE v4.0

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at month 7

  2. Number of participants who achieve various doses of Tirzepatide at increments of 2.5 mg, up to 15 mg

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at month 7

  3. Proportion and number of participants with endoscopic remission as defined by SES-CD < 4 with no ulcer subscore >1.

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at month 7

Secondary outcomes

  1. Proportion and number of participants with endoscopic response as defined by (↓SES-CD 50%)

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at month 7

  2. Proportion and number of participants who achieve clinical remission/response defined by Crohn's disease activity index < 150 for clinical remission or a decrease from baseline by at least 100 points on CDAI

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at month 7

  3. Proportion and number of participants who achieve clinical remission defined by a Harvey Bradshaw Index < 5

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at month 7

  4. Proportion and number of participants who achieve improvement from baseline in the Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire in four domains, bowel symptoms, emotional health, systemic systems and social function. Questions are score

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at month 7

  5. Proportion and number of participants who achieve improvement from baseline in visceral adipose tissue, the total body fat percentage, fat mass index by DEXA

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at month 7

  6. Rates of remission in each group (3rd advanced therapy, tirzepatide 5mg dosing, tirzepatide escalated dosing)

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at month 7

Study contacts

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

Darren Nix

CONTACT

[email protected]

314-362-3201

Monique Lavalas Bright

CONTACT

[email protected]

314-362-9044

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Washington University School of Medicine

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
May 16, 2025
Registry last updated
Jun 5, 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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