Could a Decades-Old parasite drug help fight pancreatic cancer?

NCT ID NCT05055323

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

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 This study
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 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

20 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jul 2021

Expected to finish

Dec 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

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

18 years and older

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: * 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

  • Thomas Jefferson University

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19107, United States

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