One pill may tame both itchy skin and stubborn liver disease
NCT ID NCT07678645
First seen Jul 01, 2026 · Last updated Jul 02, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether upadacitinib, a drug already approved for eczema, can help people who have both atopic dermatitis (a type of eczema) with moderate to severe itching and a hard-to-treat autoimmune liver disease called cholangitis. The drug works by blocking a pathway involved in both itching and liver inflammation. Researchers will measure changes in itch severity, liver enzyme levels, and liver stiffness over 24 weeks.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- upadacitinib
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new treatment option for people with both atopic dermatitis and hard-to-treat autoimmune liver disease, potentially easing itching and slowing liver damage.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase study with no placebo group, so results may not be conclusive. Upadacitinib can have side effects like infections or blood clots.
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
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 44 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jun 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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May 2028
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 70 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 Patients must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for enrollment: 1. Aged ≥18 and ≤70 years, of either sex. 2. Criteria for Atopic Dermatitis (AD) Diagnosis of AD according to the Chinese diagnostic criteria for adult AD, defined as meeting the primary criterion (a) plus either criterion (b) or (c) below: 1. Presence of symmetrical eczema with a disease duration of more than 6 months. 2. Personal and/or first-degree family history of atopic diseases (e.g., eczema, allergic rhinitis, asthma, allergic conjunctivitis, etc.). 3. At least one of the following laboratory findings: elevated serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE), elevated peripheral blood eosinophil count, or positive allergen-specific IgE. Presence of moderate-to-severe pruritus, defined as a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score ≥4. 3. Criteria for Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) Diagnosis of PBC according to practice guideline criteria, defined as meeting at least two of the following three criteria: 1. Biochemical evidence of cholestasis, primarily elevated alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and/or gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT). 2. Positivity for anti-mitochondrial antibody (AMA) or AMA-M2, or positivity for other disease-specific autoantibodies (anti-gp210 or anti-sp100 antibodies). 3. Histological evidence of non-suppurative destructive cholangitis and small bile duct destruction. Patients must have received a standard regimen of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) for ≥12 months (at a dose of no less than 13-15 mg/kg/day) in combination with at least two subsequent-line therapies (including Farnesoid X receptor agonists, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonists, budesonide, or other immunosuppressants) for ≥3 months. At screening, ALP ≥1.5 × upper limit of normal (ULN) or GGT ≥5 × ULN. 4. Criteria for Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) For large-duct PSC, diagnosis must meet the following criteria: 1. Biliary imaging showing characteristic multifocal, short-segmental, or annular strictures involving both intra- and extrahepatic bile ducts. 2. At least one of the following clinical manifestations: biochemical evidence of cholestasis (primarily elevated ALP and/or GGT); clinical or histological evidence of coexisting inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); or liver histology showing periductal inflammation with fibrosis (i.e., periductal "onion-skin" appearance). 3. Exclusion of secondary sclerosing cholangitis due to other etiologies. For small-duct PSC, diagnosis must meet the following criteria: 1. Biochemical evidence of cholestasis with no significant abnormalities on recent biliary imaging. 2. Liver histology showing typical PSC changes as described above (periductal inflammation with fibrosis / "onion-skin" appearance). 3. Exclusion of other causes of cholestasis. Patients must have received a standard regimen of UDCA for ≥3 months (at a dose of no less than 13-15 mg/kg/day). At screening, ALP ≥1.5 × ULN or GGT ≥5 × ULN. Exclusion Criteria Patients who meet any of the following criteria will be excluded from enrollment: 1. Known concurrent or history of other hepatobiliary diseases, including but not limited to: active hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection; complete biliary obstruction; acute cholecystitis or symptomatic cholelithiasis; suspected or confirmed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or cholangiocarcinoma. 2. Child-Pugh Class C cirrhosis; evidence of end-stage liver disease, including: history of liver transplantation or being on the liver transplant waiting list; Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score \>20; severe portal hypertension complications (including severe gastric or esophageal varices, refractory or diuretic-resistant ascites, history of variceal bleeding); or other serious cirrhosis-related complications (spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatorenal syndrome, hepatopulmonary syndrome). 3. Total bilirubin \>10 × upper limit of normal (ULN). 4. Serum creatinine ≥1.5 × ULN and creatinine clearance \<60 mL/min. 5. Platelet count \<50 × 10⁹/L. 6. International normalized ratio (INR) \>1.5. 7. Serum albumin \<3.0 g/dL. 8. Use of moderate or strong inhibitors or inducers of cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) within 14 days prior to the first dose of study drug or planned use throughout the study period. 9. Presence of diseases that may cause non-hepatic elevation of ALP (e.g., Paget's disease of bone) or any condition with an anticipated life expectancy of less than 2 years. 10. Known drug abuse or alcohol abuse within 6 months prior to the first dose of study drug, defined as weekly alcohol consumption exceeding 14 standard drinks (1 standard drink equivalent to 360 mL beer, 45 mL of 40% distilled spirits, or 150 mL wine). 11. Unstable concomitant diseases or use of concomitant medications that cannot be maintained on a stable regimen throughout the clinical study period. 12. Pregnant women, women planning to become pregnant, breastfeeding women, or fertile patients (male or female) who are unwilling to use at least one effective method of contraception from the time of signing informed consent until 30 days after the last dose of study drug. 13. Participation in any other interventional clinical trial and receipt of any investigational product within 3 months prior to the first dose of study drug. 14. Positive results for human immunodeficiency virus antibodies (HIV Ab) or Treponema pallidum antibodies (TP Ab). 15. Any other condition that, in the investigator's judgment, would preclude the patient's participation in this study.
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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
1 site. 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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RenJi Hospital
Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, 200001, China
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