New drug could beat steroids for saving sight in thyroid eye disease

NCT ID NCT07594912

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 This study
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
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study compares two treatments given after emergency eye surgery for people with thyroid eye disease who have vision loss. One group gets teprotumumab, a newer drug that blocks a growth factor, and the other gets high-dose steroids. The goal is to see which one better improves eyesight over 24 weeks. About 60 adults aged 18 to 65 will take part.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Teprotumumab (a drug that blocks a growth factor) and methylprednisolone (a steroid)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a more effective treatment to save vision in people with severe thyroid eye disease.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-phase trial with only 60 people, so results may not apply to everyone. Teprotumumab can cause side effects like muscle cramps or hearing problems.

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 2

Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.

Participants

About 60 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Aug 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Apr 2028

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 to 65 years

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: * Able and willing to provide written informed consent. * Age 18 to 65 years. * Clinical diagnosis of thyroid eye disease (TED) with dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON). Diagnosis of DON must meet both of the following criteria: 1. Visual dysfunction not explained by other causes, such as decreased best-corrected visual acuity, visual field defect, abnormal color vision, or relative afferent pupillary defect. 2. Imaging evidence of orbital apex crowding, optic nerve compression, or optic nerve stretching. * The study eye meets the criteria for urgent orbital decompression, defined as either of the following: 1. Poor response after rescue intravenous methylprednisolone for the current dysthyroid optic neuropathy episode, with a cumulative methylprednisolone-equivalent dose of no more than 3.0 g, defined as no improvement or continued deterioration of visual function within 1 to 2 weeks. 2. Contraindication to glucocorticoids or investigator judgment that direct urgent mechanical decompression is required. * Thyroid function is normal or mildly abnormal before enrollment, with free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) within 50% above or below the normal reference range when possible. * Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) no more than 1.5 times the upper limit of normal, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) no more than 3 times the upper limit of normal, and serum creatinine no more than 1.5 times the upper limit of normal. * For participants with diabetes mellitus, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) less than 9.0% and stable antidiabetic treatment within 60 days before enrollment. * For women of childbearing potential, a pregnancy test must be negative before enrollment. * Participants of reproductive potential agree to use effective contraception during the study and for 90 days after the last dose of study treatment. * Able and willing to comply with study treatment and follow-up procedures. Exclusion Criteria: * Orbital decompression surgery within 6 months before screening. * Bilateral dysthyroid optic neuropathy requiring urgent bilateral orbital decompression at baseline. * Cumulative preoperative methylprednisolone-equivalent dose greater than 3.0 g for the current dysthyroid optic neuropathy episode. * Systemic glucocorticoid treatment for non-thyroid eye disease within 3 months before screening with cumulative methylprednisolone-equivalent dose of 1.0 g or greater. * Tocilizumab or other systemic immunosuppressive treatment within 3 months before screening, or rituximab within 6 months before screening. * Orbital radiotherapy within 3 months before screening. * Previous treatment with teprotumumab. * Other ocular diseases that may significantly affect visual function assessment, including glaucomatous optic neuropathy, macular disease, severe cataract, or non-thyroid eye disease optic neuropathy. * Irreversible optic nerve damage in the study eye with very low potential for visual recovery, as judged by the investigator. * History of definite inner ear disease or clinically significant hearing impairment. * Severe cardiovascular disease. * Severe hepatic or renal disease. * Active infection or clinically significant infectious disease, including active hepatitis, HIV infection, syphilis, or active tuberculosis. * Active gastrointestinal ulcer. * Clinically significant abnormal blood test results, including white blood cell count less than 4.0 × 10\^9/L, platelet count less than 80 × 10\^9/L, hemoglobin less than 110 g/L in males or less than 100 g/L in females. * History of malignancy judged by the investigator to be unsuitable for enrollment. * Pregnancy or breastfeeding. * Known allergy to monoclonal antibodies, methylprednisolone, or any study drug excipient. * Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus or any other condition that, in the investigator's judgment, makes the participant unsuitable for the study.

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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.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. 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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  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University

    Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510000, China

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