Can a higher dose of upadacitinib rescue ulcerative colitis patients when standard treatment fails?
NCT ID NCT07700446
First seen Jul 14, 2026 · Last updated Jul 31, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests whether a temporary higher dose of upadacitinib (45 mg daily) can bring ulcerative colitis back under control in adults whose disease flared up while on the standard 30 mg maintenance dose. Participants receive the higher dose for 8 to 16 weeks, then may step down to the maintenance dose if their symptoms and colon inflammation improve. The goal is to see if this re-induction approach can recapture clinical response without needing to switch to a different medication.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- upadacitinib (Rinvoq), a JAK1 inhibitor, given as a 45 mg daily re-induction dose
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this re-induction strategy could offer a way to regain disease control for ulcerative colitis patients without switching to a different drug.
- What could go wrong
- This is a single-arm, open-label study with no placebo group, so results may be less definitive. Higher doses of upadacitinib carry increased risks of infection and other side effects.
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 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
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About 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Nov 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2030
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 64 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: 1. Subjects must voluntarily sign and date an informed consent, approved by an IEC/IRB, prior to the initiation of any screening or study-specific procedures. 2. Individuals at least 18 years old and less than 65 years. 3. Laboratory values meeting the following criteria within the screening period prior to the first dose of study drug: * Serum alanine transaminase (ALT) \< 2 × ULN; * Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) \< 2 x ULN; * Estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) by simplified 4-variable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula \> 0 mL/min/1.73 m2; * Total white blood cell (WBC) count \> 2,500/μL; * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \> 1,500/μL; * Platelet count \> 100,000/μL; * Absolute lymphocyte count \> 850/μL; * Hemoglobin \> 10 g/dL. 4. Are willing and able to comply with procedures required in this protocol. 5. Subjects must not be incarcerated and must be freely willing and able to provide informed consent. Examples of subjects unable to freely provide informed consent may include some adults under legal protection measures (e.g., under guardianship/curatorship) or unable to express their consent and select adults under psychiatric care. Investigator's discretion should be applied. 6. Diagnosis of moderate to severe active ulcerative colitis with a documented initial response to upadacitinib treatment (defined as adapted Mayo score of 5-9) and subsequent documented loss of response to upadacitinib 30 mg QD dose. This should be within 8 weeks of screening. This will allow for short term non-UC related flares to self-resolve, while at the same time allowing for adequate time interval between appointments. 7. Subject has documented diagnosis of moderate to severe active UC with a modified Mayo score of 5 to 9 points and endoscopic subscore of 2 to 3 at the time of screening. 8. Pregnancy testing in females of childbearing potential/individuals of childbearing potential; Contraception Recommendations of this protocol : Females of childbearing potential/Individuals of childbearing potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test at the Screening Visit. 9. Female subjects of childbearing potential must practice at least 1 protocol-specified method of birth control, from Study Day 1 through at least 30 days after the last dose of study drug. Female subjects of nonchildbearing potential do not need to use birth control. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Subject with current diagnosis of Crohn's Disease or diagnosis of indeterminate colitis. 2. Current diagnosis of fulminant colitis and/or toxic megacolon. 3. History of clinically significant (per investigator's judgment) drug or alcohol abuse within the last 6 months. 4. Conditions that could interfere with drug absorption including but not limited to short bowel syndrome. 5. History of colectomy (total or subtotal), ileoanal pouch, Kock pouch, or ileostomy or is planning bowel surgery. 6. Subject has active TB or latent TB. 7. Subject who received fecal microbial transplantation within 30 days prior to Baseline. 8. Subject with new or chronic systemic use of known strong cytochrome P450 (CYP)3A inhibitors or strong CYP3A inducers while on UPA therapy should be evaluated by caring physician as to possibility of this medication being responsible for the loss of response to UPA. Herbal therapies and other traditional medicines are defined as any herbal formulation that is intended to treat or prevent health problems and may include supplements based on herbs which the subject is taking. 9. Subject currently receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN) or plan to receive TPN at any time during study treatment. 10. Subject with positive C. difficile toxin stool assay during screening. 11. Infection(s) requiring treatment with intravenous anti-infectives within 30 days prior to the Baseline visit or oral/intramuscular anti-infectives within 14 days prior to the baseline visit. 12. Chronic recurring infection and/or active viral infection that, based on the investigator's clinical assessment, makes the subject an unsuitable candidate for the study 13. Subject has current or past history of recurrent or disseminated (even a single episode) herpes zoster 14. Subject has current or past history of disseminated (even a single episode) herpes simplex 15. Prior or current gastrointestinal (GI) dysplasia, other than completely removed dysplastic lesion in any biopsy performed during or before the screening endoscopy. 16. History of any malignancy, except for successfully treated nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) or localized carcinoma in situ of the cervix. 17. History of gastrointestinal (GI) perforation (other than due to appendicitis or mechanical injury), diverticulitis, or significantly increased risk of GI perforation per investigator's judgment. 18. History of an allergic reaction or significant sensitivity to constituents of upadacitinib (and its excipients) 19. Subject who previously received stem cell transplantation 20. Subject has been a previous recipient of an organ transplant which requires continued immunosuppression. 21. History of cerebrovascular accident, myocardial infarction, coronary stenting, or aortocoronary bypass stenting or retinal vein occlusion; however, if the investigator determines there are no suitable treatment alternatives available for a subject who has experienced one of these events more than 6 months prior to the Baseline visit, the investigator must document a favorable benefit-risk assessment to justify the subject's inclusion in the study. In patients with known VTE risk factors other than cardiovascular or alignancy risk factors, participation in this clinical trial is considered the most suitable treatment option among treatment alternatives and the risks and benefits have been discussed with the subject. 22. A serious AE or AE that is identified or a possible risk of UPA during prior treatment with upadacitinib that is deemed to have a causal relationship with upadacitinib by Investigator 23. Subjects who have been treated with any investigational drug of chemical or biologic nature within 30 days or five half-lives (whichever is longer) prior to the first dose of study treatment or who are currently enrolled in another interventional clinical study. 24. Received treatment with rectal aminosalicylates or corticosteroids, other enemas/suppositories (other than required for endoscopy), within 7 days prior to the Screening endoscopy and during the remainder of the Screening Period. 25. Received cyclosporine, tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil or thalidomide within 30 days prior to Baseline. 26. Subjects who received azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine within 10 days of Baseline. 27. Subjects who received intravenous corticosteroids within 14 days prior to screening or during the screening period. 28. Subjects who require corticosteroids to remain in the study 29. Subject who received non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (except topicalNSAIDs and the useof low dose aspirin for cardiovascular \[CV\] protection) within 7 days prior to baseline
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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 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.
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