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Alcohol gel vs steroid: which injection eases disc pain longer?

NCT ID NCT03415828

Symptom relief Sponsor: Gelscom SAS Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study compares two types of injections for people with long-term low back pain caused by one or two damaged discs. One injection uses an ethanol gel (DISCOGEL), the other uses a steroid. Both are already approved and used in practice. The goal is to see which provides better pain relief over time, with 230 participants followed for two years.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
ethanol gel (DISCOGEL) and prednisolone acetate (steroid)
What this could lead to
If DISCOGEL works better than steroids, it could offer a longer-lasting, non-surgical option for people with chronic disc-related back pain.
What could go wrong
This is a post-market study confirming existing use, not a breakthrough. The ethanol gel is already on the market, so results may not show a major advantage over steroids. Pain relief varies and some people may not respond.

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

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

About 230 people

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

Started

May 2018

Expected to finish

May 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

A company

The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

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: * Patient 18 years of age or older; * 2-month refractory pain to conservative treatment, non-surgical patients; * Chronic discogenic pain (1 or 2 lumbar discs) with concordant MR imaging; * Symptomatic for at least 8 weeks despite appropriate medical treatment; * Patient who agrees to participate in the study and who signed the informed consent form; * Patient with social protection. Exclusion Criteria: * Previous surgical treatment of the studied disc(s); * Patient with pure radicular pain; * Sick leave of more than 12 months secondary to the symptoms; * Patients who cannot read or write French; * History of cognitive-behavioral disorders that could interact with assessment by self-questionnaire; * Local or general infection, or suspicion of infection; * Severe coagulation disorders; * Other rheumatic inflammatory disease; * Undercurrent serious pathology with life expectancy \< 2 years; * Female of childbearing age that are known to be pregnant during inclusion visit or wishing to become pregnant before treatment; * Subject who has forfeited their freedom by administrative or legal award, or is under guardianship or under limited judicial protection * Patient participating in another interventional clinical trial or testing an experimental drug within 30 days of inclusion in the study.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

lumbar disk disease

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Lumbar discogenic pain (disorder)

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    3 sites. 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.

    Open the record ↗

  3. 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

  • Hospital Pellegrin

    RECRUITING

    Bordeaux, France

  • Hospital SUD La Reunion

    RECRUITING

    Saint-Pierre, France

  • Hospital St-Dié-des-Vosges

    TERMINATED

    Saint-Dié, France

  • Hospital St-Etienne

    RECRUITING

    Saint-Priest-en-Jarez, France

  • Hospital Valence

    TERMINATED

    Valence, France