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NCT Number: NCT07624383

New Topical tReatment Options for Symptomatic patiEnts With Nonerosive gastroesophageaL Reflux dIsease (The RELIEF Trial)

The goal of this randomized, double-blind, single-center clinical trial RELEIF is to learn if medical devices work to decrease symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in adults' patients. It will also teach us about safety, tolerability and improvement of patient's quality of life during and after taking medical device. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does medical device relieve reflux symptoms? * Does medical device improve the quality of life of patients with GERD symptoms? Researchers will compare medical device to a placebo (a look-alike substance that contains no drug) to see if medical device works in GERD gastroesophageal reflux disease .

Participants will:

* Take medical device or a placebo every day (4 times a day) for 14 days * Stop taking medical device or placebo for 7 days (wash out period) * Switch the therapy for medical device or placebo for next 14 days * Visit the clinic 4 times during 35 days of this study for checkups and tests * Keep a diary of their symptoms and the number of times they use a medical device * Fill out the form to collect all necessary data.

Recruiting

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Medical Network

Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, 04-501, Poland

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Grażyna Rydzewska - Wyszkowska, Prof., MD, PhD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Konrad Lewandowski, MD, PhD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Tomasz Połeć

CONTACT

[email protected]

+48608337103

CONTACT

[email protected]

About this study

This medical device was developed as a modern therapeutic alternative, offering rapid symptom relief and long-term protective effects on the esophageal mucosa. The introduction of medical device aims to expand the available therapeutic options for patients suffering from GERD symptoms and to support physicians in selecting optimal therapy. Thanks to its innovative formula, medical device can avoid the rising the symptoms, provide improved well-being and reduce the frequency of acute medication use.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease based on the presence of typical symptoms such as heartburn and or regurgitation for at least 6 months prior to the screening visit, confirmed by the investigator
  • Exclusion of erosive reflux disease, Barrett esophagus, and other esophageal abnormalities by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy within the last 6 months, confirmed by the investigator based on medical documentation
  • No use within 1 month prior to screening of proton pump inhibitors, H2 receptor antagonists, prokinetics such as itopride or prucalopride, GLP1 or GIP analogues, antibiotics, baclofen, tricyclic antidepressants, serotonin and or noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, and no use within 1 week prior to screening of sucralfate, antacids, or esophageal mucosal protective agents
  • Presence of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms that negatively impact quality of life, as subjectively reported by the patient and confirmed by the investigator
  • Age 18 years or older at the time of screening
  • Women of childbearing potential must not be pregnant confirmed by a negative urine pregnancy test and must not be breastfeeding, or must be of non childbearing potential defined as surgically sterile, physiologically incapable of becoming pregnant, or at least 12 months post menopause
  • Women of childbearing potential with a male partner of reproductive potential must use a highly effective method of contraception from screening until 18 weeks after the last dose of the investigational medical device
  • Sexually active men with women of childbearing potential must agree to use barrier contraception such as condoms or abstain from sexual intercourse throughout the study period and for at least 7 days after the last dose of the investigational medical device
  • Ability to comply with all aspects of the clinical study
  • Male patients eligible for participation in the study.

Exclusion criteria

  • Women who are breastfeeding or have a positive urine pregnancy test at the baseline visit
  • Introduction of significant changes in diet or lifestyle during the study period
  • Presence of alarm symptoms at baseline including dysphagia or odynophagia, unintentional weight loss greater than 5 percent of baseline body weight, signs of gastrointestinal bleeding, anemia, palpable epigastric mass, or persistent vomiting lasting 7 to 10 days
  • Planned use during the study of antibiotics, probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, short chain fatty acids, proton pump inhibitors, H2 receptor antagonists, prokinetics such as itopride or prucalopride, GLP1 or GIP analogues, baclofen, tricyclic antidepressants, serotonin and or noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, and use within 1 week prior to study start of sucralfate, antacids, or esophageal mucosal protective agents
  • Diagnosis of a severe disease such as malignancy
  • Planned hospitalization for any reason or presence of any severe comorbidity that in the opinion of the investigator constitutes a contraindication to study participation or may compromise patient safety
  • Current or recent history within 1 year prior to randomization of alcohol dependence or substance abuse
  • Active psychiatric disorders that in the opinion of the investigator may interfere with compliance with study procedures
  • Presence of unstable or uncontrolled cardiovascular disorders, moderate or severe heart failure classified as New York Heart Association class III or IV, or any clinically significant pulmonary, hepatic, renal, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, hematological, coagulation, immunological, endocrine or metabolic disorder, or any other medical condition that in the opinion of the investigator could affect study results or patient safety
  • Individuals who are employees of the study site, investigator, contract research organization, or sponsor
  • First degree relatives of employees of the study site, investigator, contract research organization, or sponsor
  • Individuals unable to attend all study visits or comply with study procedures.

Treatment and study plan

Esophageal barrier medical device

Device

Esophageal barrier medical device designed to form a bioadhesive protective barrier over gastric contents and the esophageal mucosa. The mechanism of action is local and physical, reducing exposure of the esophagus to refluxate without systemic absorption. The product is administered orally according to the study protocol and evaluated in a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled crossover design, distinguishing it from pharmacological acid suppressive therapies.

Placebo oral formulation

Device

Oral placebo formulation designed to match the investigational product in appearance, taste, and administration schedule, without containing active components. It does not form a protective barrier and has no therapeutic effect. The placebo is administered according to the same protocol as the active intervention within a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled crossover design to ensure blinding and allow comparative assessment.

Other names: Placebo, Matching placebo, Inactive comparator formulation

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in reflux symptom severity score

    Time frame: Baseline and after 14 days of treatment in each treatment period of the crossover study.

    Change from baseline in patient reported gastroesophageal reflux symptoms assessed using the GERD-HRQL questionnaire. Clinical response is defined as a reduction of at least 50 percent in the total GERD-HRQL score after 14 days of treatment with esophageal barrier medical device compared with placebo.

  2. Proportion of patients with complete clinical remission

    Time frame: After 14 days of treatment in each treatment period of the crossover study.

    Proportion of patients achieving complete clinical remission of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms assessed using the GERD-HRQL questionnaire. Complete remission is defined as a total score of 0 points in questions 1 to 15 of the GERD-HRQL after 14 days of treatment with esophageal barrier medical device compared with placebo.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Onset and duration of action of the investigational device.

    Time frame: During the 14 day treatment period, assessed after each administration throughout each treatment phase.

    Assessment of the onset and duration of action of the esophageal barrier medical device using a patient reported questionnaire. Onset of action is defined as the subjective relief of heartburn within two predefined time intervals: up to 15 minutes classified as very rapid onset and 16 to 30 minutes classified as rapid onset. Duration of action is defined as the time period free from reflux symptoms following administration of the investigational product.

  2. Proportion of patients with complete clinical remission of heartburn.

    Time frame: After 14 days of treatment in each treatment period of the crossover study.

    Proportion of patients achieving complete clinical remission of heartburn assessed using the GERD-HRQL questionnaire. Complete remission of heartburn is defined as a total score of 0 points in questions 1 to 6 of the GERD-HRQL after 14 days of treatment with esophageal barrier medical device compared with placebo.

  3. Proportion of patients with clinical response of heartburn.

    Time frame: After 14 days of treatment in each treatment period of the crossover study.

    Proportion of patients achieving clinical response of heartburn assessed using the GERD-HRQL questionnaire. Clinical response is defined as a reduction of at least 50 percent in the total score of questions 1 to 6 of the GERD-HRQL after 14 days of treatment with esophageal barrier medical device compared with placebo.

  4. Proportion of patients with complete clinical remission of regurgitation.

    Time frame: After 14 days of treatment in each treatment period of the crossover study.

    Proportion of patients achieving complete clinical remission of regurgitation assessed using the GERD-HRQL questionnaire. Complete remission of regurgitation is defined as a total score of 0 points in questions 10 to 15 of the GERD-HRQL after 14 days of treatment with esophageal barrier medical device compared with placebo.

  5. Proportion of patients with clinical response of regurgitation.

    Time frame: After 14 days of treatment in each treatment period of the crossover study.

    Proportion of patients achieving clinical response of regurgitation assessed using the GERD-HRQL questionnaire. Clinical response is defined as a reduction of at least 50 percent in the total score of questions 10 to 15 of the GERD-HRQL after 14 days of treatment with esophageal barrier medical device compared with placebo.

  6. Change in heartburn and regurgitation severity on Likert scale

    Time frame: Baseline and after 14 days of treatment in each treatment period of the crossover study.

    Change in severity of heartburn and regurgitation assessed using a five point Likert scale. Improvement is defined as a reduction of at least 2 points in the combined symptom severity score after 14 days of treatment with esophageal barrier medical device compared with placebo.

  7. Proportion of patients with improvement in quality of life

    Time frame: Baseline and after 14 days of treatment in each treatment period of the crossover study.

    Proportion of patients achieving improvement in quality of life assessed using the 36 Item Short Form Survey SF 36. Improvement is defined as a reduction of at least 5 points in the total SF 36 score after 14 days of treatment with esophageal barrier medical device compared with placebo.

Study contacts

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

Anna Zaorska, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+48 602 229 443

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Cellmedis

Industry

Collaborators

  • Medical Network Sp. z o.o.

Registry information

Official study title

New Topical tReatment Options for Symptomatic patiEnts With Nonerosive gastroesophageaL Reflux dIsease: rEsults oF a Single-center, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Crossover Trial. (The RELIEF Trial)

Acronym: RELIEF

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jun 3, 2026
Registry last updated
Jul 10, 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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