Could a Decades-Old parasite drug help fight pancreatic cancer?
NCT ID NCT05055323
First seen Jul 21, 2026 · Last updated Jul 22, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This phase I trial tests pyrvinium pamoate, a drug originally used to treat pinworm infections, in people with pancreatic cancer that can be surgically removed. The goal is to find the safest dose and see if it can slow tumor growth. Researchers will monitor side effects and measure how the drug behaves in the body.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- pyrvinium pamoate, an antiparasitic drug being tested for its ability to slow tumor growth
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a new treatment option for pancreatic cancer that is easier to tolerate than standard chemotherapy.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early, small phase I trial focused on safety and dosing, so it is too soon to know if the drug will effectively slow tumor growth or improve survival.
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 1
The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.
- Participants
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20 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jul 2021
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
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 years and older
- 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: * Patients with a diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) suspected preoperatively who are deemed to be surgical candidates by the Thomas Jefferson University surgery department. Patients will be assessed by the pancreatic surgeons in the pancreatic surgery clinic, and if they are found to have resectable disease, they can be considered for this study * Patients must not be on neoadjuvant therapy, or have received their last neoadjuvant treatment greater than or equal to within three weeks of starting PP therapy * Provide signed and dated informed consent form * Willing to comply with all study procedures and be available for the duration of the study * Patients must have an estimated life expectancy of \> 3 months, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-1 * All patients regardless of age or gender must agree to observe proper contraceptive methods as to avoid becoming pregnant or causing pregnancy for the duration of the study (30 days after last dose of drug) * Males will practice safe sex methods (i.e. condoms) * Women of child bearing potential will practice safe sex methods (i.e. condoms, birth control), if a female on the study is of child-bearing age, they will have to take a urine human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) (pregnancy) test prior to enrolling on the study Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with ongoing anticancer therapies, or those who will have received an anticancer therapeutic \<3 weeks prior to the first dose of PP * Any condition that precludes pancreatic surgical resection at the time of the study * Pregnancy or currently breastfeeding * Known allergic reactions to components of the study product(s): pyrvinium pamoate/ pyrvinium embonate (Molevac) * Patients with chronic bowel conditions (such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)) * Kidney function impairment (serum creatine \> 1.5 x ULN or creatine clearance \</= 60 ml/1.73m\^2 fr patients with creatine levels \> 1.5 x ULN). * Patients with liver function impairment: Alkaline phosphatase, ALT and AST above three folds the normal limit (see normal ranges); Total Bilirubin level \> 3mg/dl; Albumin \< 3g/dl \* Alkaline phosphatase: * 0-9 years (yr): 83-280 IU/L at 37 degrees Celsius * 10-14 yr: 91-400 * 15-17 yr: 37-240 * 18-49 yr: 29-92 * 50-74 yr: 25-120 * 75-97 yr: 29-160 * 98-99 yr: 29-120 * \> 99 yr: 29-160 * Patients with liver function impairment outside of the below ranges \* Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase \[SGOT\]): \*\* Male (M): 1-45 IU/L at 37 degrees Celsius \*\* Female (F): 1-30 * Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase \[SGPT\]): * M: 7-42 IU/L at 37 degrees Celsius * F: 7-35 * Patients with liver function impairment outside of the below ranges \* Albumin: * 0-1 yr: 2.6-4.4 * 1-15 yr: 3.0-4.7 * 16-99 yr: 3.2-4.9 * Patients with liver function impairment outside of the below ranges \* Bilirubin, total: \*\* 0.1-0.9 mg/dL * Patients with liver function impairment outside of the below ranges \* Protein, total: * 0-1 yr: 4.6-7.2 g/dL * 1-15 yr: 5.7-8.2 * 16-99 yr: 6.0-8.5
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19107, United States
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