New combo therapy aims to help PBC patients who Don't respond to standard treatment
NCT ID NCT05751967
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This Phase 3 trial tests whether adding fenofibrate to standard ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) therapy improves liver health in people with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) who do not respond well to UDCA alone. About 150 adults will receive either the combination or a placebo plus UDCA for 36 weeks. The main goal is to see if more patients achieve normal levels of key liver markers.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Fenofibrate combined with ursodeoxycholic acid
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a new treatment option for people with primary biliary cholangitis who do not get enough benefit from standard therapy alone.
- What could go wrong
- This is a Phase 3 trial, but it is still early to know if the combination works better than placebo. Results may not apply to all populations, and fenofibrate can have side effects like muscle pain or liver issues.
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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About 150 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2023
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
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: * Must have provided written informed consent; * Age 18-75 years; * BMI 17-28 kg/m2 * Male or female with a diagnosis of PBC, by at least two of the following criteria: * History of AP above ULN for at least six months; * Positive AMA titers (\>1/40 on immunofluorescence or M2 positive by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or positive PBC-specific antinuclear antibodies; * Documented liver biopsy result consistent with PBC. * Incomplete response to UDCA defined by Xi'an criteria (ALP \>2.5× ULN, AST\>2×ULN or TBIL\>1×ULN) after UDCA treatment for 4-6 weeks with at least one abnormal test in ALP or TBIL. Exclusion Criteria: * History or presence of other concomitant liver diseases. * ALT/AST \> 5×ULN, TBIL \> 3×ULN. * If female: known pregnancy, or has a positive urine pregnancy test (confirmed by a positive serum pregnancy test), or lactating. * Allergic to fenofibrate or ursodeoxycholic acid. * Taking hepatotoxic drugs (e.g., dapsone, erythromycin, fluconazole, ketoconazole, rifampicin) for more than 2 weeks within 6 months, and long-term hormonal users. * Recurrent variceal bleeding, poorly controlled hepatic encephalopathy or refractory ascites. * Patients with a history of severe cardiac, cerebrovascular, renal, respiratory disease or functional failure, and psychiatric disorders (including those due to alcohol and drug abuse). * Creatinine \>1.5×ULN and creatinine clearance \<60 ml/min. * Currently using statins (such as pravastatin, fluvastatin, and simvastatin), other fibrates (such as gemfibrozil and bezafibrate), and drugs structurally similar to fenofibrate (like ketoprofen). * Planned to receive an organ transplant or an organ transplant recipient. * Needing Liver transplantation within 1 year according to the Mayo Rick score. * Any other condition(s) that would compromise the safety of the subject or compromise the quality of the clinical study, as judged by the Investigator.
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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
7 sites. 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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Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital
RECRUITINGNanjing, Jiangsu, China
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Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital,
RECRUITINGChengdu, Sichuan, China
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Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGGuangzhou, Guangdong, China
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The First Hospital of China Medical University
RECRUITINGShenyang, Liaoning, China
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The second hospital of Lanzhou University
RECRUITINGLanzhou, Gansu, China
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Tianjin Medical University General Hospital
RECRUITINGTianjin, China
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Ying han
RECRUITINGXi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China
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