Could a steroid injection stop shingles pain for good?
NCT ID NCT07344246
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Aug 27, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests whether dexamethasone palmitate, a steroid, can better relieve shingles pain and prevent long-term nerve pain compared to standard care. About 954 adults with shingles rash and severe pain will receive the drug by injection or infusion. Researchers will track pain levels over six months to see if this approach works better and is safe.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- dexamethasone palmitate
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new way to reduce shingles pain and lower the risk of long-term nerve pain (postherpetic neuralgia).
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage trial with no phase designation, so results are uncertain. The study is open-label, which can bias outcomes, and side effects from steroids are possible.
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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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 954 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 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 75 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. Patients with onset of HZ rash less than 90 days. 2. HZ affected the trigeminal nerves (ophthalmic/ maxillary/ mandibular nerve). 3. Aged 18 to 75 years (inclusive). 4. Pain intensity ≥ 7 cm on a visual analogue scale (VAS) with 0= 'no pain' to 10='unbearable pain'. 5\. Tender point count \> 4. 6. Agreed to sign the informed consent form. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Infection at the puncture site. 2. Poor general situation unable to be treated. 3. A history of abuse of narcotics. 4. Non-compliance or inability to complete the self-evaluation questionnaires. 5. Pregnancy or lactation. 6. Patients using immunosuppressants and those with severe systemic diseases such as hematological malignancies, cancers, or autoimmune disorders.
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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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Beijing Tiantan Hospital
Beijing, Beijing Municipality, 100071, China