Diabetes drug could help stop liver damage in hepatitis b patients
NCT ID NCT05147090
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether empagliflozin, a diabetes drug, can prevent liver scarring (fibrosis) from getting worse in people with chronic hepatitis B. About 106 participants with moderate to severe liver scarring will take either empagliflozin or a placebo daily for three years. The main goal is to see if the drug reduces liver stiffness, a measure of scarring, using advanced imaging.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- empagliflozin
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new way to slow or stop liver scarring in people with chronic hepatitis B, even if they don't have diabetes.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 106 participants. The drug is already approved for diabetes, but its effect on liver fibrosis is unproven. Results may not apply to all patients.
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
-
Phase 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
-
About 106 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Jan 2022
- Expected to finish
-
Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
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
-
18 to 80 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients will be recruited if they have significant/advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis confirmed by MRE Exclusion Criteria: 1. decompensated cirrhosis (variceal bleeding, ascites, hepatic hydrothorax, hepatic encephalopathy), 2. portal vein thrombosis, 3. alcohol intake \>20g within last 2 years, 4. concurrent chronic liver disease (chronic hepatitis C infection, autoimmune hepatitis, Wilson's disease, hemochromatosis, primary biliary cholangitis, drug-induced), 5. history of malignancy including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 6. pregnancy, 7. contraindications to empagliflozin (estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) \<45mL/min/1.73m2, recurrent genitourinary tract infections, gangrene, allergy), 8. contraindications to MRI (e.g., claustrophobia, implanted devices with ferromagnetic properties).
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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
-
The University of Hong Kong/Queen Mary Hospital
Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China, 852, Hong Kong
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