New drug shows promise in Late-Stage Sjogren's trial

NCT ID NCT05350072

Disease control Sponsor: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 08, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This phase 3 study tests whether the drug ianalumab can reduce disease activity in people with active Sjogren's syndrome. About 275 adults with the condition will receive either ianalumab or a placebo shot under the skin. The main goal is to see if the drug improves symptoms and disease scores over 48 weeks compared to placebo.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: ianalumab (a biologic drug given as a shot under the skin)
What this could lead to: If it works, this could provide a new treatment option to control disease activity and improve symptoms for people with active Sjogren's syndrome.
What could go wrong: This is a phase 3 trial, but results are not yet available. The drug may not prove more effective than placebo, and side effects are possible with any biologic therapy.

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 3

Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.

Participants

275 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jul 2022

Finished

Jun 2026

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 to 100 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.

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: * Signed informed consent must be obtained prior to participation in the study * Women and men ≥ 18 years of age * Classification of Sjögren's syndrome according to the ACR/EULAR 2016 criteria * Time since diagnosis of Sjögren's of ≤ 7.5 years at screening * Positive anti-Ro/SSA antibody at screening * Patients negative for anti-Ro/SSA antibody are eligible, if they have a positive salivary gland biopsy confirmed by central expert review * Enrollment of anti-Ro/SSA-negative patients will be limited up to ≤10% of the study population * Screening ESSDAI score of ≥ 5 within the following 8 domains: constitutional, lymphadenopathy, glandular, articular, cutaneous, renal, hematological and biologic. * Stimulated whole salivary flow (sSF) rate of ≥ 0.05 mL/min at screening * Ability to communicate well with the Investigator, understand and agree to comply with the requirements of the study * Patients taking hydroxychloroquine (≤ 400 mg/day), methotrexate (≤ 25 mg/week) or azathioprine (≤ 150 mg/day) alone or in combination, are allowed to continue their medication, and must have been on a stable dose for at least 30 days prior to randomization. * Patients taking systemic corticosteroids have to be on a stable dose of ≤ 10 mg/day predniso(lo)ne or equivalent for at least 30 days before randomization. * Patients taking * disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) other than specifically allowed by protocol * the following Traditional Chinese Medicines: Total glucoside of peony (TGP) or Tripterium glycosides (TG) must discontinue these medications at least 30 days prior to randomization, except for leflunomide, which has to be discontinued for 8 weeks prior to randomization unless a cholestyramine wash-out has been performed. Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of another autoimmune rheumatic disease that is active and constitutes the principal illness * Use of other investigational drugs within 5 half-lives of enrollment, or within 30 days or until the expected pharmacodynamic effect has returned to baseline, whichever is longer3. Prior treatment with ianalumab * Prior use of a B-cell depleting therapy other than ianalumab within 36 weeks prior to randomization or as long as B-cell count is less than the lower limit of normal or baseline value prior to receipt of previous B cell-depleting therapy (whichever is lower) * Prior treatment with any of the following: 1. Within 24 weeks prior to randomization: iscalimab (anti CD-40 mAb), belimumab , abatacept, anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha biologic agents, immunoglobulins plasmapheresis; 2. Within 12 weeks prior to randomization: i.v. or oral cyclophosphamide and mycophenolate mofetil, i.v. or oral cyclosporine A or any other immunosuppressants (e.g., JAK inhibitors or other kinase inhibitors) unless explicitly allowed by protocol * Use of corticosteroids (predniso(lo)ne or equivalent corticosteroid) at dose \>10 mg/day * Any one of the following laboratory values at screening: * Hemoglobin levels \< 8.0 g/dL * White blood cells (WBC) count \< 2.0 x 10E3/µL * Platelet count \< 80 x 10E3/µL * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \< 0.8 x 10E3/µL * Active viral, bacterial or other infections requiring systemic treatment at the time of screening or randomization, or history of recurrent clinically significant infection or of recurrent bacterial infections with encapsulated organisms * History of hypersensitivity to any of the study drugs or its excipients or to drugs of similar chemical classes (e.g., mAb of IgG1 class) or to any of the constituents of the study drug formulation (sucrose, L-histidine hydrochloride/ L-histidine, polysorbate 20) * History of major organ, hematopoietic stem cell or bone marrow transplant * Required regular use of medications known to cause dry mouth/eyes as a regular and major side effect, and which have not been on a stable dose for at least 30 days prior to Screening, or any anticipated change in the treatment regimen during the course of the study * Use of topical ocular prescription medications (excluding artificial tears, gels, lubricants) that have not been on a stable dose for at least 90 days prior to randomization, or any anticipated change in the treatment regimen during the course of the study * Receipt of live/attenuated vaccine within a 4-week period prior to randomization * History of primary or secondary immunodeficiency, including a positive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) test result * History of malignancy of any organ system (other than localized basal cell carcinoma of the skin or in situ cervical cancer or Sjögren's related lymphoma), treated or untreated, within the past 5 years, regardless of whether there is evidence of local recurrence or metastases. * History of sarcoidosis * Any surgical, medical (e.g., uncontrolled hypertension, heart failure or diabetes mellitus), psychiatric or additional physical condition that the Investigator feels may jeopardize the patient in case of participation in this study * Chronic infection with hepatitis B (HBV) or hepatitis C (HCV) virus. Positive serology for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) excludes the subject. * HBsAg negative subjects who are hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) positive are also excluded unless all of the following criteria are met: 1. HBV DNA is negative 2. hepatitis B monitoring is implemented - in these subjects, monthly testing of HBsAg and HBV DNA must be performed while on study treatment and at least every 12 weeks after end of treatment for the entire duration of safety follow-up. 3. Antiviral prophylaxis must be implemented before the first administration of the study treatment, and continued up to 12 months after the end of study treatment. If antiviral therapy cannot be given or if the patient is not willing to comply with the antiviral treatment requirement, the patient is not eligible for the study. * Hepatitis C: patients with positive hepatitis C antibody and HCV-RNA at screening are excluded. Chronic hepatitis C patients who have completed HCV anti-viral treatment must be HCV-RNA negative at least 12 weeks after treatment before randomization to be eligible. Cases of spontaneous HCV clearance should be discussed with sponsor before enrollment. * Evidence of active tuberculosis (TB) infection is exclusionary. Patients with previously treated TB and previously treated or newly diagnosed latent TB may be eligible. * Pregnant or nursing (lactating) women. * Women of child-bearing potential, defined as all women physiologically capable of becoming pregnant, unless they are using highly effective methods of contraception while on study treatment and for 6 months after stopping of investigational medication. * Patients with a known history of non-compliance to medication, or who were unable or unwilling to complete PRO questionnaires, or who are unable or unwilling to use the device for collection of PROs. * United States (and other countries, if locally required): Sexually active males, unless they agree to use barrier protection during intercourse with a woman of childbearing potential, while taking study treatment. As condom use alone has a reported failure rate exceeding 1% per year, it is recommended that female partners of male study participants use a second method of birth control. Although ianalumab is not teratogenic and/or genotoxic, and not transferred to semen, male contraception is required, as requested by FDA. Globally, for all sexually active males, contraception should be used in accordance with locally approved prescribing information of concomitant medications administered.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Sjogren syndrome

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Sjogren syndrome

Contacts and locations

Locations

Altoona Center for Clin Res

Duncansville, Pennsylvania, 16635, United States
Baylor College Of Medicine

Houston, Texas, 77030, United States
Carolina Arthritis Associates

Wilmington, North Carolina, 28401, United States
Houston Rheumatology and Arthrit

Katy, Texas, 77494, United States
Indiana Univ School of Dentistry

Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202, United States
Medvin Clinical Research

Van Nuys, California, 91405, United States
Metroplex Clinical Research

Dallas, Texas, 75231, United States
NYU Langone Hospital - Long Island

Mineola, New York, 11501, United States
Novartis Investigative Site

Graz, 8036, Austria
Novartis Investigative Site

Stockerau, 2000, Austria
Novartis Investigative Site

Leuven, 3000, Belgium
Novartis Investigative Site

Vitória, Espírito Santo, 29055 450, Brazil
Novartis Investigative Site

Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, 36010 570, Brazil
Novartis Investigative Site

Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14048-900, Brazil
Novartis Investigative Site

São Paulo, 01409-902, Brazil
Novartis Investigative Site

Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, 7500571, Chile
Novartis Investigative Site

Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, 7500710, Chile
Novartis Investigative Site

Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510630, China
Novartis Investigative Site

Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518020, China
Novartis Investigative Site

Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, China
Novartis Investigative Site

Baotou, Inner Mongolia, 014010, China
Novartis Investigative Site

Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, 010050, China
Novartis Investigative Site

Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, China
Novartis Investigative Site

Shenyang, Liaoning, 110011, China
Novartis Investigative Site

Linyi, Shandong, 276000, China
Novartis Investigative Site

Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030000, China
Novartis Investigative Site

Xian, Shanxi, 710061, China
Novartis Investigative Site

Beijing, 100050, China
Novartis Investigative Site

Brno, 638 00, Czechia
Novartis Investigative Site

Prague, 148 00, Czechia
Novartis Investigative Site

Uherské Hradiště, 686 01, Czechia
Novartis Investigative Site

Caen, 14033, France
Novartis Investigative Site

Dijon, 21000, France
Novartis Investigative Site

Lille, 59037, France
Novartis Investigative Site

Marseille, 13005, France
Novartis Investigative Site

Paris, 75010, France
Novartis Investigative Site

Paris, 75013, France
Novartis Investigative Site

Saint-Priest-en-Jarez, 42270, France
Novartis Investigative Site

Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Wurttemberg, 79106, Germany
Novartis Investigative Site

Würzburg, Bavaria, 97080, Germany
Novartis Investigative Site

Berlin, 13353, Germany
Novartis Investigative Site

Erlangen, 91056, Germany
Novartis Investigative Site

Gommern, 39245, Germany
Novartis Investigative Site

Ludwigshafen, 67063, Germany
Novartis Investigative Site

Guatemala City, 01009, Guatemala
Novartis Investigative Site

Guatemala City, 01010, Guatemala
Novartis Investigative Site

Guatemala City, 01011, Guatemala
Novartis Investigative Site

Quetzaltenango, 9001, Guatemala
Novartis Investigative Site

Vilnius, 08406, Lithuania
Novartis Investigative Site

Guadalajara, Jalisco, 44650, Mexico
Novartis Investigative Site

Mexico City, Mexico City, 06700, Mexico
Novartis Investigative Site

Wroclaw, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, 52-210, Poland
Novartis Investigative Site

Bydgoszcz, 85-168, Poland
Novartis Investigative Site

Krakow, 30-002, Poland
Novartis Investigative Site

Lublin, 20-090, Poland
Novartis Investigative Site

Braga, 4710243, Portugal
Novartis Investigative Site

Guarda, 6301-858, Portugal
Novartis Investigative Site

Lisbon, 1050-034, Portugal
Novartis Investigative Site

Lisbon, 1349-019, Portugal
Novartis Investigative Site

Lisbon, 1649-035, Portugal
Novartis Investigative Site

Singapore, S308433, Singapore
Novartis Investigative Site

Gwangju, 61469, South Korea
Novartis Investigative Site

Seoul, 06591, South Korea
Novartis Investigative Site

Badalona, Barcelona, 08916, Spain
Novartis Investigative Site

Sabadell, Barcelona, 08208, Spain
Novartis Investigative Site

Bilbao, Bizkaia, 48013, Spain
Novartis Investigative Site

A Coruña, 15006, Spain
Novartis Investigative Site

Madrid, 28034, Spain
Novartis Investigative Site

Ankara, Bilkent Cankaya, 06800, Turkey (Türkiye)
Novartis Investigative Site

Ankara, Sihhiye-Altindag, 06230, Turkey (Türkiye)
Novartis Investigative Site

Ankara, Yenimahalle, 06500, Turkey (Türkiye)
Novartis Investigative Site

Kocaeli, 41380, Turkey (Türkiye)
Ochsner Health System

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70809, United States
Precision Comprehensive Research

Colleyville, Texas, 76034, United States
STAT Research Inc

Dayton, Ohio, 45402, United States
The John Hopkins Jerome L Greene Sjogren

Baltimore, Maryland, 21224, United States
West Broward Rheumatology Associates Inc

Tamarac, Florida, 33321, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.