Can steroids save lives in severe pneumonia? new trial aims to find out
NCT ID NCT07152587
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether low or moderate doses of the steroid methylprednisolone can reduce deaths in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia. It will enroll 1500 ICU patients with pneumonia caused by adenovirus or Pneumocystis jirovecii. The study uses an adaptive design to assign more patients to the better-performing dose.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Methylprednisolone (a steroid)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could identify the best steroid dose to reduce deaths from severe pneumonia caused by certain viruses or fungi.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage trial with only 1500 participants, and steroids can have serious side effects like infections or bleeding. The results may not apply to all pneumonia 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
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Phase 2/3
Runs two stages together: whether the treatment works, then large-scale confirmation.
- Participants
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About 1,500 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2025
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2035
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 years and older
- 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: * Admission to ICU; * Age ≥ 18 years; * ICU length of stay ≤ 48 hours; ④ Meeting the IDSA/ATS diagnostic criteria for SCAP. Exclusion Criteria: * Confirmed diagnosis of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) or ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP); * Expected death within 24 hours; * Presence of septic shock prior to randomization; ④ History of allergy or contraindications to corticosteroids (e.g., active gastrointestinal bleeding, severe osteoporosis, uncontrolled hyperglycemia, bone marrow suppression); * Active fungal (except Pneumocystis jirovecii), tuberculosis, or hepatitis infection; * Receiving ongoing corticosteroid therapy at a dose equivalent to prednisone \> 1 mg/kg/day due to underlying disease; ⑦ Participation in this trial within the past 90 days; ⑧ Refusal to sign informed consent.
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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 official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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.
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.