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Artesunate Suppositories for the Treatment of HIV-negative Patients With Intra-anal HSIL

A Phase II Double Blind, Placebo-controlled, Randomized Trial of Artesunate Suppositories for the Treatment of HIV-negative Patients With Anal High-grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions (Anal HSIL)

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05555862
Acronym
anal HSIL HIV-
Enrollment
17
Registered
2022-09-27
Start date
2023-02-10
Completion date
2026-12-31
Last updated
2025-05-18

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

Conditions

AIN 2/3, Anal Dysplasia, Anal High Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion, Anal Precancerous Condition, HPV Disease, HPV Infection

Keywords

human papillomavirus, non-surgical, topical treatment, anal HSIL, anal cancer prevention, treatment study, cancer prevention, high-risk HPV, HPV16, suppository

Brief summary

This is a phase II double blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study of Artesunate suppositories for the treatment of HIV-negative men and women who have anal high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (anal HSIL)

Detailed description

Eligible participants in this study are randomized 2:1 to receive either artesunate or placebo suppositories for the treatment of anal HSIL. Both groups receive four 5-day cycles of suppositories, at weeks 0, 2, 4, and 6. At least two of the dosing visits are done in person. The remaining dosing visits may be done as telehealth visits (suppositories are mailed to the patient's home). Participants are followed closely with anoscopy or high resolution anoscopy (HRA) at weeks 8, 18, 30, and 42. After the week 18 HRA visit, participants who have at least partial response will be followed with HRA at week 30. Participants who are found to be non-responders at week 18 will undergo standard of care ablation. Participants who are found to have anal HSIL at weeks 30 or 42 will be followed according to standard of care procedures. Primary Objective: To evaluate the complete and partial histopathologic response to four 5-day cycles of artesunate suppositories in adult patients with biopsy-proven HPV-associated intra-anal HSIL (18 weeks). Secondary Objectives: Efficacy: * To evaluate the viral clearance after four 5-day cycles of artesunate suppositories in adults with biopsy-proven HPV-associated intra-anal anal HSIL over the study window (42 weeks) * To evaluate complete and partial intra-anal histopathologic response after the week 18 time point but over the study window (30 weeks). * To evaluate complete and partial peri-anal histopathologic response following artesunate suppositories over the course of the study (42 weeks). * To evaluate persistence of response throughout the study window (42 weeks) Safety: To evaluate the safety of artesunate suppositories for the treatment of intra-anal HSIL.

Interventions

DRUGArtesunate

artesunate formulated as intra-anal suppositories

DRUGPlacebo

placebo intra-anal suppository

Sponsors

Amarex CRO
CollaboratorUNKNOWN
University of California, San Francisco
CollaboratorOTHER
Anal Dysplasia Clinic MidWest
CollaboratorUNKNOWN
Laser Surgery Care
CollaboratorOTHER
Frantz Viral Therapeutics, LLC
Lead SponsorINDUSTRY

Study design

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

Masking description

Double-blind, placebo-controlled

Intervention model description

Double blind, placebo controlled randomized trial

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Adult men and women age ≥ 18 years * Capable of informed consent * Biopsy-confirmed intra-anal high-grade dysplasia (AIN 2, AIN 3, anal HSIL) by HRA. Patients must have residual anal HSIL lesions after diagnostic biopsies, as documented by HRA. This includes patients who are newly diagnosed with anal HSIL as well as those who have recurrent anal HSIL after medical therapy or surgical therapy. Patients who have intra-anal HSIL and also have peri-anal HSIL may be enrolled in the study. * Women of childbearing potential agree to use birth control for the duration of the study. * Laboratory values at Screening of: 1. Serum alanine transaminase (SGPT/ALT) \< 5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) 2. Serum aspartate transaminase (SGOT/AST) \< 5 x ULN 3. Serum Bilirubin (total) \< 2.5 x ULN 4. Serum Creatinine ≤ 1.5 x ULN * Electrocardiogram (ECG) with no clinically significant findings as assessed by the Investigator. * Weight ≥ 50kg

Exclusion criteria

* Pregnant and nursing women * Diagnosis of low-grade anal dysplasia (AIN 1, LSIL), without the concomitant diagnosis of anal HSIL, by HRA * Concurrent anal, vulvar, cervical, or penile cancer * HIV seropositivity * Currently receiving systemic chemotherapy or radiation therapy for another cancer. * Patients who are on medical treatment with systemic immunosuppressants or steroids (e.g., active autoimmune disease) * Concomitant use of strong Uridine glucuronyl transferases (UGT) inhibitors * Concomitant use of imiquimod or 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) for the duration of the study

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of subjects with complete and partial response by week 1818 weeksNumber of participants who achieve complete or partial response after 4 5-day cycles of artesunate as determined by HRA-directed biopsy(ies)

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of participants who have achieved clearance of detectable human papilloma virus (HPV) over the study window42 weeksNumber of participants who had HPV strains detected at study entry which become undetectable within the study window
Number of participants with complete and partial response after week 18 but over the study window30 weeksNumber of participants who achieve complete or partial response after week 18, as documented by HRA-directed biopsy(ies)
Number of participants who achieve complete and partial response of peri-anal HSIL, following 4 cycles of intra-anal artesunate suppositories, as determined by HRA-directed biopsy42 weeksNumber of participants who had both peri-anal and intra-anal HSIL, whose peri-anal HSIL achieves complete or partial response following 4 cycles of intra-anal artesunate suppositories
Number of participants who undergo complete response who maintain their response over the study window42 weeksNumber of participants who complete or partial response who maintain this response over the study window

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of participants with Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events (TEAE)12 weeksNumber of participants who had adverse events, as defined by CTCAE v5.0, related to the study intervention
Number of participants who withdrew from the study due to TEAEs12 weeksNumber of participants who were withdrawn from the study due to adverse events related to the study drug
Changes in vital signs over the study window42 weeksNumber of participants who had clinically significant changes in vital signs
Changes in physical examination abnormalities42 weeksNumber of participants who had clinically significant changes in physical examination abnormalities
Clinically significant changes in ECG between baseline and post dosing8 weeksNumber of participants who had clinical significant changes in ECG between pre-dosing and post dosing

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026