Could a blood vessel drug reverse sudden blindness in giant cell arteritis?
NCT ID NCT03841734
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This trial investigates whether bosentan, a drug that blocks endothelin and relaxes blood vessels, can help people who suddenly lose vision from giant cell arteritis (Horton's disease). Standard steroid treatment often fails to restore sight once blindness occurs. The study enrolls 8 adults with recent vision loss and gives them bosentan for 14 days alongside usual care. Researchers measure changes in visual acuity and visual fields to see if early treatment can limit permanent damage.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Bosentan
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a treatment that restores some vision after sudden blindness caused by giant cell arteritis.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small early-phase trial with only 8 participants, so results may not apply widely. Bosentan also carries risks like liver toxicity and may not improve vision at all.
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 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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8 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Feb 2020
- Finished
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Jul 2023
- 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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50 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: * Decreased visual acuity (BVA) \<5 days, regardless of degree of severity, abrupt onset in the context of newly diagnosed or suspected Horton's disease at this loss of visual acuity * Able to sign the consent * Affiliated to the social security system * Already under conventional treatment of Horton's disease or the: requiring: Corticosteroids and + - anti-platelet aggregators and / or LMWH at the discretion of the referring physician for its vasculitis and + - immunosuppressive or biotherapy if necessary. Exclusion Criteria: * Underlying hepatocellular insufficiency known * Patient under guardianship or curator * Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients * Moderate to severe hepatic insufficiency corresponding to class B or C of the Child-Pugh classification * Any other ophthalmological pathology explaining the sudden drop in vision: retinal detachment, retinal hemorrhage, posterior uveitis, nonarteritic arterial occlusion, cortical stroke * Serum levels of hepatic aminotransferases, aspartate aminotransferases (ASTs) and / or alanine aminotransferases (ALATs), greater than 3 times the upper limit of normal before start of treatment * Patient under treatment with cyclosporine A, antiretrovirals, glibenclamide or Rifampicin. * Pregnant or lactating women
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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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CH de Cannes
Cannes, France