New hope for chinese HLH patients: emapalumab shows promise

NCT ID NCT05744063

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study tested the drug emapalumab (Gamifant) in 13 Chinese patients with primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare and severe immune disorder. The goal was to see if the drug is safe and helps control the disease before a stem cell transplant. Researchers measured side effects and how well patients responded to treatment.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
emapalumab (Gamifant)
What this could lead to
If successful, this could confirm that emapalumab is a safe and effective option for Chinese patients with primary HLH, helping control the disease before a stem cell transplant.
What could go wrong
This is a small, single-arm study with only 13 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The drug is already approved in other regions, but safety and efficacy in this specific population are still being confirmed.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 4

Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.

Participants

13 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Feb 2023

Finished

Aug 2025

Lead sponsor

A company

The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

Children (under 18), adults (18 to 64) and older adults (65 and over)

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Male and female HLH patients of any age. 2. Patients diagnosed with confirmed or suspected pHLH, based on; a molecular diagnosis or familial history consistent with pHLH or fulfilment of HLH-2004 diagnostic criteria, i.e., five out of eight of the criteria below: * Fever * Splenomegaly * Cytopenias affecting 2 of 3 lineages in the peripheral blood (hemoglobin \<90 g/L; platelets \<100 x 109/L; neutrophils \<1 x 109/L) * Hypertriglyceridemia (fasting triglycerides ≥3 mmol/L or ≥265 mg/dL) and/or hypofibrinogenemia (≤1.5 g/L) * Hemophagocytosis in bone marrow, spleen, or lymph nodes, with no evidence of malignancy. * Low or absent NK-cell activity * Ferritin ≥500 μg/L * Soluble CD25 (sCD25; i.e., soluble IL-2 receptor) ≥2400 U/mL 3. Presence of active HLH disease as assessed by the investigator. 4. Patients must fulfil one of the following criteria as assessed by the investigator: * Having not responded to previous conventional treatment of HLH * Having not achieved a satisfactory response to previous conventional treatment of HLH or worsened * Having reactivated HLH * Showing intolerance to previous conventional treatment of HLH At the time of enrollment, eligible patients might still be receiving treatment (induction or maintenance) or might have already discontinued it. 5. Expectation of survival beyond 1 week as judged by the investigator. 6. Patient has expectation of proceeding to HSCT 7. Informed consent signed by the patient (as required by local law), or by the patient's legally authorized representative(s) with the assent of patients who are legally capable of providing it, as applicable. 8. Willing to use highly effective methods of contraception from study drug initiation to 6 months after the last dose of study drug, if female and of childbearing potential. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Diagnosis of secondary HLH consequent to a proven rheumatic, metabolic or neoplastic disease. 2. Active mycobacteria, Histoplasma capsulatum, Salmonella, or Leishmania infections. 3. Evidence of latent tuberculosis. 4. Presence of malignancy. 5. Existence of any severe co-morbidity or any other medical condition which, in the opinion of the investigator, makes the patient unsuitable for the treatment 6. History of hypersensitivity or allergy to any component of the study regimen (e.g., polysorbate). 7. Receipt of a Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine within 12 weeks prior to Screening. 8. Receipt of a live or attenuated live (other than BCG) vaccine within 4 weeks prior to Screening. 9. Pregnant or lactating female patients. 10. Enrollment in another concurrent clinical interventional study, or intake of an IMP, within three months prior to inclusion in this study 11. Any condition or circumstance that in the opinion of the Investigator may make the patient unlikely to complete the study or comply with study procedures or requirements.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

hereditary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Swedish Orphan Biovitrum Research site

    Shanghai, Fudan, China

  • Swedish Orphan Biovitrum Research site

    Beijing, Xicheng, China

  • Swedish Orphan Biovitrum Research site

    Beijing, China

  • Swedish Orphan Biovitrum Research site

    Chongqing, China

  • Swedish Orphan Biovitrum Research site

    Guangzhou, China

  • Swedish Orphan Biovitrum Research site

    Nanjing, China

  • Swedish Orphan Biovitrum Research site

    Zhengzhou, China

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