New drug could beat steroids for saving sight in thyroid eye disease
NCT ID NCT07594912
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
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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 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Aug 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2028
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: * 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.
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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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Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University
Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510000, China
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