Can a cancer drug reboot the immune system in chronic fatigue syndrome?
NCT ID NCT07724834
First seen Jul 24, 2026 · Last updated Jul 24, 2026
Summary
This trial tests whether inebilizumab, an antibody that wipes out certain immune cells called B cells, can improve physical function in adults with ME/CFS that started after an infection. Participants receive three infusions over six months, and the study measures changes in mobility, fatigue, and daily activity. The goal is to see if targeting the immune system can ease the disabling symptoms of post-infection ME/CFS.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- inebilizumab, an anti-CD19 monoclonal antibody that depletes B cells
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a targeted treatment for the underlying immune dysfunction in post-infection ME/CFS.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 38 participants. The treatment depletes B cells, which can increase infection risk, and it is unknown whether the benefits seen in a pre-selected group will apply to a broader population.
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
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 38 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Dec 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: * Male/female/diverse adults who are 18-65 years old at time of enrollment * Subject is able and willing to give informed consent * Signed informed consent prior to initiation of any trial related measure * Diagnosis of PAIS as defined by WHO for PCS, wi th other infectious triggers * Diagnosis of ME/CFS according to CCC criteria with PEM \> 14 hours = PAIS/CFS * Detection of autoantibodies (elevated ß2R adrenergic AAB) prior to immunoadsorption or prior to inclusion to PIONEER * Pre-treatment with immunoadsorption in the immunoadsorption studies at least 6 months before study inclusion * Documented clinical response to immunoadsorption (minimum increase in SF-36 PF of 10 points at week 8) followed by consecutive worsening of symptoms (minimum decrease in SF-36 PF of 10 points for at least 3 months) * Evidence of activated pro inflammatory immune cell status * Bell score at screening visit: 30-60 * Normal thyroid function or sufficiently medicated dysfunction * For women of childbearing potential (WOCBP): 1. Confirmed post-menopausal state, defined as amenorrhea for at least 12 months, or 2. If being of childbearing potential: Negative highly sensitive urine or serum pregnancy test before randomization, and practicing a highly effective birth control method (failure rate of less than 1%) Exclusion Criteria: * Contraindication against IMP or AMP * Hypersensitivity to the active substance or any of the other ingredients * Vaccination less or up to 4 weeks before first visit * Immunomodulative therapy \< 3 month before screening visit * Concomitant and previous use of IMP * Known SARS-CoV-2 or other infection related organ damage/comorbidity * Pre-infection history of chronic fatigue syndrome or other fatigue syndromes that are due to associated diseases (e.g., cancer, autoimmune diseases \[patients with a preexcisting Hashimoto thyroiditis and/or fibromyalgia without fatigue syndromes can be included\]) * Serious infections, including active or latent and chronic infections such as tuberculosis, HIV, Lues, hepatitis B and C * Immune- and immunoglobulin-deficiency or severely immunocompromised condition * Any other severe or unstable medical conditions (immune, cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine, gastrointestinal, hematological, neurological, psychiatric, systemic) or any other condition deemed by the Investigator to pose unacceptable risk, interfere with IP evaluation, or confound study results. * At screening : aspartate transaminase (AST) \> 2.5 × upper limit of normal (ULN), alanine transaminase (ALT) \> 2.5 × ULN, total bilirubin \> 1.5 × ULN (unless due to Gilbert's syndrome), platelet count \< 75,000/µL, hemoglobin \< 8 g/dL, eGFR\<30 mL/min/1.73 m², total immunoglobulin \< 900 mg/dL, absolute neutrophil count \< 1200 cells/µL, CD4 T lymphocyte count \< 300 cells/µL * Concomitant diseases or health constellations causing general physical weakness or fatigue, like: i) renal insufficiency with eGR\< 15 or diyalsis, ii) impaired liver function with elevated liver enzymes a) Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and b) Alanin-Aminotransferase (ALT), both \>35 U/l for women or \> 50 U/l for men, iii) anemia with low hemoglobin-concentrations \<13,0 g/dL for males and \<12,0 g/dL for females, and iv) adipositas grades II or higher (BMI: ≥ 35 kg/m 2) at screening * Subject is pregnant or breastfeeding * Subject is institutionalized by order of court or public authority * Subject who might be dependent on the sponsor, the investigator, or the trial site * Participation in another clinical trial with a medical device or an investigational medicinal product within 3 Months or 5 half-lives (whichever is longer) before screening visit
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Berlin, 10117, Germany
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