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Phase 3 Study to Evaluate WR 279,396 vs. Paromomycin Alone to Treat Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (in Tunisia)

A Pivotal, Randomized, Double-blind, Vehicle-controlled Study to Evaluate WR 279,396 and Paromomycin Alone to Treat Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (in Tunisia)

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT00606580
Enrollment
375
Registered
2008-02-04
Start date
2008-01-31
Completion date
2011-07-31
Last updated
2014-07-14

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Keywords

cutaneous leishmaniasis, topical treatment, Tunisia

Brief summary

This study will test the ability of the topical cream WR 279,396 to treat the skin lesions caused by the parasite called leishmania. WR 279,396 is an antibiotic preparation that contains paromomycin + gentamicin. This cream will be compared to the effect of a topical cream containing paromomycin alone and to a placebo cream that contains no antibiotics. Therefore, this study will have three groups of patients, and they will be assigned to one of these treatments randomly. The study will be carried out without the patient or the physician knowing which cream is being used for which patient. The goal is to determine if WR 279,396 cream or the paromomycin cream is better than placebo, and if WR 279,396 is better than paromomycin alone.

Detailed description

This is an efficacy study to test the ability of WR 279,396 topical cream to treat uncomplicated cutaneous leishmaniasis caused primarily by Leishmania major in adults and children in Tunisia where the disease in endemic. A total of 375 volunteers will be randomized to the three arms described above to determine product efficacy. Safety data in all three arms will also be collected.

Interventions

WR 279,396 is a topical antibiotic cream containing 15% paromomycin and 0.5% gentamicin that will be applied to each lesion once a day and covered with a sterile gauze and tape dressing.

DRUGParomomycin Alone topical cream

The antibiotic paromomycin 15% in the same topical cream used in arm 1 will be applied to lesions daily and covered with a protective sterile gauze and tape dressing.

DRUGVehicle placebo cream

Applied daily to cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions, primarily ulcerative, and covered with a protective, sterile gauze and tape dressing.

Sponsors

U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command
Lead SponsorFED

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
5 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* The subject was age 5 years or older, but less than 65 years. * The subject was able to understand the information provided to him/her and give written informed consent. Consent was obtained from the parent/guardian of subjects who were \< 18 years old. Children 12 to \< 18 years old were asked to sign the written assent form. Witnessed verbal assent was obtained from subjects 5 to 11 years old. * The subject was a male or female who was generally healthy. * The subject had cutaneous lesions diagnosed as leishmaniasis in the index lesion by: (1) the identification of promastigotes in a culture of an aspirated lesion, or (2) the microscopic identification of Leishmania amastigotes on a DifQuik or Giemsa stained smear obtained from a lesion scraping. * The subject had five or fewer cutaneous lesions. * The subject had one lesion, which would be designated as the index lesion, that was ≥ 1 and \< 5 cm in its greatest diameter and primarily ulcerative, ie, not purely verrucous or nodular. * The subject was willing to forego other forms of treatment for CL, including other investigational treatment during the study. * In the opinion of the principal investigator, the subject or subject's parent/guardian was capable of understanding and complying with the protocol

Exclusion criteria

* The subject received previous treatment for leishmaniasis (including WR 279,396) within the last 6-months, with the exception of mercurochrome. * The subject had difficulty complying with instructions on maintaining the dressing, eg, due to life style activities or age. * The subject had only a single lesion whose characteristics included any of the following: verrucous or nodular lesion, ≥ 5 cm in its greatest diameter, \< 1 cm or located on the ear, or other location that in the opinion of the principal investigator would be difficult to maintain application of study drug topically. * The subject had a lesion due to Leishmania that involved the mucosa. * The subject had signs or symptoms of disseminated disease, ie, clinically significant lymphadenitis with nodules that were painful and \> 1 cm in the lymphatic drainage of the ulcer. * The subject was a female with a positive urine pregnancy test, or who was breast feeding or lactating. * The subject had an active malignancy or had a history of a solid, metastatic or hematologic malignancy, with the exception of a basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin that had been removed. * The subject had a significant organ abnormality or chronic disease that, in the opinion of the investigator, would warrant exclusion of the subject from the study or would prevent the subject from completing the study. * The subject was receiving any of the following medications: any medication containing pentavalent antimony, including stibogluconate sodium (Pentostam®) and meglumine antimoniate (Glucantime®); amphotericin B, including liposomal amphotericin B and amphotericin B deoxycholate; other medications containing paromomycin (administered IV or topically); methylbenzethonium chloride, fluconazole, ketoconazole, itraconazole; pentamidine; or allopurinol. * The subject or the subject's parent/guardian was unable to understand verbal and/or written Arabic, English, or French (languages in which certified translations of the informed consent were available). * The subject presented with an immuno-compromising condition, including recidivant leishmaniasis (during the past 2 years), or diabetes. * The subject had a history of known or suspected idiosyncratic reactions or hypersensitivity to aminoglycosides.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Final Clinical Cure RateDay 42, 98, and 168Final clinical cure was defined as an index lesion that met the criteria for initial clinical cure without relapse. Definitions for index lesion outcomes were as follows: * Initial Clinical Improvement: At least 50% to 99% reduction in the size of the measured lesion from the baseline measurement by the Day 42 evaluation. * Initial Clinical Cure: 100% re-epithelialization (ie, a 0 x 0 length x width measurement) of the lesion at the nominal Day 42 evaluation, or initial clinical improvement followed by 100% re-epithelialization by Day 98. * Relapse: Initial clinical cure followed by re-ulceration by Day 168, or initial clinical improvement followed by lesion enlargement by Day 168. * Final Clinical Cure: Initial clinical cure without relapse through study Day 168.Clinical Failure: Lack of at least initial clinical improvement by Day 42, or relapse.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Estimated Percentage Subjects With Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without RelapseDay 42For the first of the above analyses, subjects were considered to have endpoint events at the first assessment on or before Day 42 where complete re-epithelialization occurred at the index lesion that was not followed by a later assessment where ulceration was present. Subjects who did not have complete re-epithelialization by Day 42 or who relapsed after Day 42 were censored in the analysis at the Day 42 assessment. This analysis was only to be conducted through Day 42.
Estimated Percentage of Subjects With Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without Relapse at Various Times of Follow-upDays 42, 49, and 98
Estimated Percentage of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Relapse at Day 42Days 42
Estimated Percentage of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Relapse at Day 49Days 49
Estimated Percentage of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Relapse at Day 98Days 98
Final Clinical Cure Rate (Per Protocol Dataset)Day 42, 98, and 168Final clinical cure was defined as an index lesion that met the criteria for initial clinical cure without relapse. Definitions for index lesion outcomes as described in the primary outcome measure.
Number of Subjects Achieving Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without RelapseDay 168Number of Subjects Achieving Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion by Day 42 without Relapse from Day 42 Onward, Imputing Relapse for any Subject with a Missing Visit after Day 42
Number of Subjects Achieving Re-epithelialization of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Subsequent RelapseDay 168Number of Subjects Achieving Re-epithelialization of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions at Day 42 without Subsequent Relapse from Day 42 Onward,
Number of All Ulcerated Lesions Achieving 100% Re-epithelialization by Day 42Day 42
Number of Subjects With a Relapse on or After Day 42Day 168
Number of Subjects Achieving Initial Clinical Improvement of the Index LesionDay 42

Countries

Tunisia

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
WR 279,396 Topical Treament
WR 279,396 topical cream (15% paromomycin + 0.5% gentamicin topical cream) WR 279,396 topical cream: WR 279,396 is a topical antibiotic cream containing 15% paromomycin and 0.5% gentamicin that will be applied to each lesion once a day and covered with a sterile gauze and tape dressing.
125
Paromomycin Alone Topical Treatment
Paromomycin Alone topical cream (15% paromomycin topical cream) Paromomycin Alone topical cream: The antibiotic paromomycin 15% in the same topical cream used in arm 1 will be applied to lesions daily and covered with a protective sterile gauze and tape dressing.
125
Vehicle Placebo Cream
The cream base without the addition of paromomycin or gentamicin Vehicle placebo cream: Applied daily to cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions, primarily ulcerative, and covered with a protective, sterile gauze and tape dressing.
125
Total375

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000FG001FG002
Overall StudyClinical failures1012
Overall StudyLost to Follow-up114
Overall StudyWithdrawal by investigator016
Overall StudyWithdrawal by Subject010

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicWR 279,396 Topical TreamentParomomycin Alone Topical TreatmentVehicle Placebo CreamTotal
Age, Continuous23.4 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 15.9
24.6 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 15.7
23.2 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 15.2
23.7 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 15.6
Age, Customized
Adults
63 participants66 participants61 participants190 participants
Age, Customized
Children (12 to 17)
24 participants33 participants35 participants92 participants
Age, Customized
Children (5 to 11)
38 participants26 participants29 participants93 participants
All lesion characteristics
Flat-like
0 lesions1 lesions0 lesions1 lesions
All lesion characteristics
Nodule
0 lesions1 lesions0 lesions1 lesions
All lesion characteristics
Number of
243 lesions272 lesions282 lesions797 lesions
All lesion characteristics
Other
3 lesions7 lesions3 lesions13 lesions
All lesion characteristics
Papule
0 lesions1 lesions0 lesions1 lesions
All lesion characteristics
Ulcerative
240 lesions262 lesions279 lesions781 lesions
All lesion ulceration area86.8 mm^2
STANDARD_DEVIATION 107
65.6 mm^2
STANDARD_DEVIATION 91.1
70.3 mm^2
STANDARD_DEVIATION 91.4
73.8 mm^2
STANDARD_DEVIATION 96.5
All ulcerated lesions
Area of ulceration ≤ 100 m^2
175 lesions210 lesions222 lesions607 lesions
All ulcerated lesions
Area of ulceration > 100 mm^2
65 lesions52 lesions57 lesions174 lesions
Days before treatment that index lesion was first noticed39.3 days
STANDARD_DEVIATION 25.7
39.5 days
STANDARD_DEVIATION 20
38.9 days
STANDARD_DEVIATION 20.5
39.2 days
STANDARD_DEVIATION 22.2
Days before treatment that index lesion was first noticed (categorical)
≤ 60 days
110 participants109 participants109 participants328 participants
Days before treatment that index lesion was first noticed (categorical)
> 60 days
15 participants16 participants16 participants47 participants
Index lesion
Area of ulceration ≤ 100 m^2
72 participants84 participants89 participants245 participants
Index lesion
Area of ulceration > 100 mm^2
53 participants41 participants36 participants130 participants
Index lesion ulceration area126 mm^2
STANDARD_DEVIATION 121
90.2 mm^2
STANDARD_DEVIATION 74.5
97.7 mm^2
STANDARD_DEVIATION 112
105 mm^2
STANDARD_DEVIATION 105
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
North African
125 participants125 participants125 participants375 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
69 Participants57 Participants56 Participants182 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
56 Participants68 Participants69 Participants193 Participants
Total Number of lesions per subject
1 lesion
59 participants49 participants50 participants158 participants
Total Number of lesions per subject
More than 1 lesions
66 participants76 participants75 participants217 participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
EG002
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
— / —— / —— / —
other
Total, other adverse events
55 / 12551 / 12545 / 125
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 1250 / 1250 / 125

Outcome results

Primary

Final Clinical Cure Rate

Final clinical cure was defined as an index lesion that met the criteria for initial clinical cure without relapse. Definitions for index lesion outcomes were as follows: * Initial Clinical Improvement: At least 50% to 99% reduction in the size of the measured lesion from the baseline measurement by the Day 42 evaluation. * Initial Clinical Cure: 100% re-epithelialization (ie, a 0 x 0 length x width measurement) of the lesion at the nominal Day 42 evaluation, or initial clinical improvement followed by 100% re-epithelialization by Day 98. * Relapse: Initial clinical cure followed by re-ulceration by Day 168, or initial clinical improvement followed by lesion enlargement by Day 168. * Final Clinical Cure: Initial clinical cure without relapse through study Day 168.Clinical Failure: Lack of at least initial clinical improvement by Day 42, or relapse.

Time frame: Day 42, 98, and 168

Population: Modified intention-to-treat (mITT) - all subjects randomized who received at least one treatment of study drug.

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
WR 279,396 Topical TreamentFinal Clinical Cure Rate101 participants
Paromomycin Alone Topical TreatmentFinal Clinical Cure Rate102 participants
Vehicle Placebo CreamFinal Clinical Cure Rate73 participants
Comparison: H01: There is no difference in the final clinical cure rate between WR 279,396 and Vehicle AND there is no difference in the final clinical cure rate between Paromomycin Alone and Vehicle.p-value: 0.0001Chi-squared
Comparison: H01: There is no difference in the final clinical cure rate between WR 279,396 and Vehicle AND there is no difference in the final clinical cure rate between Paromomycin Alone and Vehicle.p-value: <0.0001Chi-squared
Comparison: H02: There is no difference in clinical cure between WR 279,396 and Paromomycin Alone. Test of H02: If H01 was rejected, then H02 would be tested. The comparison of WR 279,396 versus Paromomycin Alone would be considered statistically significant if p \< .05.p-value: 0.871Chi-squared
Secondary

Estimated Percentage of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Relapse at Day 42

Time frame: Days 42

Population: mITT dataset

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
WR 279,396 Topical TreamentEstimated Percentage of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Relapse at Day 4251.7 Percentage of lesions
Paromomycin Alone Topical TreatmentEstimated Percentage of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Relapse at Day 4281.6 Percentage of lesions
Vehicle Placebo CreamEstimated Percentage of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Relapse at Day 4258.1 Percentage of lesions
Secondary

Estimated Percentage of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Relapse at Day 49

Time frame: Days 49

Population: mITT dataset

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
WR 279,396 Topical TreamentEstimated Percentage of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Relapse at Day 4981.4 percentage of lesions
Paromomycin Alone Topical TreatmentEstimated Percentage of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Relapse at Day 4990.4 percentage of lesions
Vehicle Placebo CreamEstimated Percentage of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Relapse at Day 4964.9 percentage of lesions
Secondary

Estimated Percentage of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Relapse at Day 98

Time frame: Days 98

Population: mITT dataset

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
WR 279,396 Topical TreamentEstimated Percentage of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Relapse at Day 9891.5 percentage of lesions
Paromomycin Alone Topical TreatmentEstimated Percentage of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Relapse at Day 9898.9 percentage of lesions
Vehicle Placebo CreamEstimated Percentage of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Relapse at Day 9892.2 percentage of lesions
Secondary

Estimated Percentage of Subjects With Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without Relapse at Various Times of Follow-up

Time frame: Days 42, 49, and 98

Population: mITT dataset. The data show that 95.8% of the Vehicle-treated subjects remaining in the study at Day 168 (the percentage excludes the 17.6% of subjects who dropped out or were withdrawn early due to treatment failure) had re-epithelialization of the index lesion.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (NUMBER)
WR 279,396 Topical TreamentEstimated Percentage of Subjects With Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without Relapse at Various Times of Follow-upDay 4972.9 percentage of participants
WR 279,396 Topical TreamentEstimated Percentage of Subjects With Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without Relapse at Various Times of Follow-upDay 4267.2 percentage of participants
WR 279,396 Topical TreamentEstimated Percentage of Subjects With Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without Relapse at Various Times of Follow-upDay 9894.3 percentage of participants
Paromomycin Alone Topical TreatmentEstimated Percentage of Subjects With Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without Relapse at Various Times of Follow-upDay 4981.5 percentage of participants
Paromomycin Alone Topical TreatmentEstimated Percentage of Subjects With Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without Relapse at Various Times of Follow-upDay 4268.5 percentage of participants
Paromomycin Alone Topical TreatmentEstimated Percentage of Subjects With Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without Relapse at Various Times of Follow-upDay 9899.2 percentage of participants
Vehicle Placebo CreamEstimated Percentage of Subjects With Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without Relapse at Various Times of Follow-upDay 4249.4 percentage of participants
Vehicle Placebo CreamEstimated Percentage of Subjects With Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without Relapse at Various Times of Follow-upDay 9890.9 percentage of participants
Vehicle Placebo CreamEstimated Percentage of Subjects With Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without Relapse at Various Times of Follow-upDay 4957.1 percentage of participants
Secondary

Estimated Percentage Subjects With Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without Relapse

For the first of the above analyses, subjects were considered to have endpoint events at the first assessment on or before Day 42 where complete re-epithelialization occurred at the index lesion that was not followed by a later assessment where ulceration was present. Subjects who did not have complete re-epithelialization by Day 42 or who relapsed after Day 42 were censored in the analysis at the Day 42 assessment. This analysis was only to be conducted through Day 42.

Time frame: Day 42

Population: mITT dataset

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
WR 279,396 Topical TreamentEstimated Percentage Subjects With Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without Relapse67.2 percentage of participants
Paromomycin Alone Topical TreatmentEstimated Percentage Subjects With Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without Relapse68.8 percentage of participants
Vehicle Placebo CreamEstimated Percentage Subjects With Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without Relapse48.8 percentage of participants
p-value: 0.33Log Rank
p-value: 0.275Log Rank
p-value: 0.83Log Rank
Secondary

Final Clinical Cure Rate (Per Protocol Dataset)

Final clinical cure was defined as an index lesion that met the criteria for initial clinical cure without relapse. Definitions for index lesion outcomes as described in the primary outcome measure.

Time frame: Day 42, 98, and 168

Population: Per protocol - all randomized subjects who received at least one treatment of study drug and whose outcomes at Day 42, Day 98 (if applicable) and Day 168 could be assessed. However, a subject was still considered per-protocol if withdrawn early for treatment failure.

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
WR 279,396 Topical TreamentFinal Clinical Cure Rate (Per Protocol Dataset)101 participants
Paromomycin Alone Topical TreatmentFinal Clinical Cure Rate (Per Protocol Dataset)102 participants
Vehicle Placebo CreamFinal Clinical Cure Rate (Per Protocol Dataset)73 participants
p-value: 0.0006Chi-squared
p-value: 0.0002Chi-squared
p-value: 0.767Chi-squared
Secondary

Number of All Ulcerated Lesions Achieving 100% Re-epithelialization by Day 42

Time frame: Day 42

Population: mITT dataset

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
WR 279,396 Topical TreamentNumber of All Ulcerated Lesions Achieving 100% Re-epithelialization by Day 42190 Ulcerated lesions
Paromomycin Alone Topical TreatmentNumber of All Ulcerated Lesions Achieving 100% Re-epithelialization by Day 42218 Ulcerated lesions
Vehicle Placebo CreamNumber of All Ulcerated Lesions Achieving 100% Re-epithelialization by Day 42160 Ulcerated lesions
p-value: <0.001Chi-squared
p-value: <0.001Chi-squared
p-value: 0.247Chi-squared
Secondary

Number of Subjects Achieving Initial Clinical Improvement of the Index Lesion

Time frame: Day 42

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
WR 279,396 Topical TreamentNumber of Subjects Achieving Initial Clinical Improvement of the Index Lesion105 participants
Paromomycin Alone Topical TreatmentNumber of Subjects Achieving Initial Clinical Improvement of the Index Lesion107 participants
Vehicle Placebo CreamNumber of Subjects Achieving Initial Clinical Improvement of the Index Lesion77 participants
p-value: 0.0001Chi-squared
p-value: <0.0001Chi-squared
p-value: 0.725Chi-squared
Secondary

Number of Subjects Achieving Re-epithelialization of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Subsequent Relapse

Number of Subjects Achieving Re-epithelialization of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions at Day 42 without Subsequent Relapse from Day 42 Onward,

Time frame: Day 168

Population: mITT dataset

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
WR 279,396 Topical TreamentNumber of Subjects Achieving Re-epithelialization of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Subsequent Relapse83 participants
Paromomycin Alone Topical TreatmentNumber of Subjects Achieving Re-epithelialization of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Subsequent Relapse84 participants
Vehicle Placebo CreamNumber of Subjects Achieving Re-epithelialization of All Treated Ulcerated Lesions Without Subsequent Relapse60 participants
p-value: 0.003Chi-squared
p-value: 0.002Chi-squared
p-value: 0.893Chi-squared
Secondary

Number of Subjects Achieving Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without Relapse

Number of Subjects Achieving Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion by Day 42 without Relapse from Day 42 Onward, Imputing Relapse for any Subject with a Missing Visit after Day 42

Time frame: Day 168

Population: mITT population

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
WR 279,396 Topical TreamentNumber of Subjects Achieving Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without Relapse84 participants
Paromomycin Alone Topical TreatmentNumber of Subjects Achieving Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without Relapse84 participants
Vehicle Placebo CreamNumber of Subjects Achieving Re-epithelialization of the Index Lesion Without Relapse62 participants
p-value: 0.005Chi-squared
p-value: 0.005Chi-squared
p-value: 1Chi-squared
Secondary

Number of Subjects With a Relapse on or After Day 42

Time frame: Day 168

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
WR 279,396 Topical TreamentNumber of Subjects With a Relapse on or After Day 424 participants
Paromomycin Alone Topical TreatmentNumber of Subjects With a Relapse on or After Day 423 participants
Vehicle Placebo CreamNumber of Subjects With a Relapse on or After Day 422 participants
p-value: 0.409Chi-squared
p-value: 0.651Chi-squared
p-value: 0.701Chi-squared

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 24, 2026