Liver drug trial halted after just 3 patients
NCT ID NCT06987968
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested a drug called VS-01 for people with severe confusion caused by liver disease (overt hepatic encephalopathy). The trial planned to enroll many participants but was stopped early after only 3 people joined. Researchers wanted to see if VS-01 could help patients recover faster when added to standard care.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- VS-01
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new treatment for severe liver-related confusion (hepatic encephalopathy).
- What could go wrong
- The trial was terminated early with only 3 participants, so there is very little data. It is unclear if VS-01 is safe or effective.
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 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
-
3 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Aug 2025
- Finished
-
Sep 2025
- 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 79 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 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: * 1)Patients with liver cirrhosis of any underlying etiology (liver cirrhosis diagnosed by standard clinical criteria, imaging findings and/or histology), who are diagnosed with Overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE) (according to Hepatic Encephalopathy Grading Instrument) in the presence of: 1. Acute decompensation (AD)(defined as the onset or worsening of ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding or any combination of them with or without infection); or 2. Acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF) grade 1 according to European Association for the Study of the Liver(EASL-CLIF) criteria; 2)Presence of ascites requiring diagnostic or therapeutic paracentesis; 3)Fasting blood ammonia \> upper limit of normal (ULN) at baseline (BL); 4)Patients with a dry body weight ≥40 kg and \<140 kg; 5)Male and female patients ≥18 to \<80 years of age on the day of signing the informed consent form (ICF); 6)Patients willing and able to provide written informed consent. If the patient is unable to fully understand or sign the written informed consent based on the Investigator's judgment, the ICF must be signed by a legal representative of the patient according to local regulation. Exclusion Criteria: 1. ACLF grade 2 or higher as defined by European Association for the Study of the Liver-Chronic Liver Failure-Chronic Liver Failure (EASL-CLIF) criteria; 2. Presence of spontaneous or secondary bacterial peritonitis (i.e., neutrophil counts \>250/mm3 in ascitic fluid); 3. Contraindication for paracentesis according to the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) Clinical Practice Guidelines 2018, and American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD)Guideline on the Treatment of Ascites, Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis, and Hepatorenal Syndrome 2021; 4. Alfapump® in place to manage ascites; 5. Known hypersensitivity to liposomes, history of mastocytosis, multiple hypersensitivities or similar diseases known to be associated with an increased risk of allergic/anaphylactoid reactions; 6. Upper GI bleeding within the last 7 days prior to BL, acute bleeding or bleeding upon paracentesis at Screening (SCR) or Baseline (BL); 7. Poorly controlled seizure disorder; 8. Respiratory failure requiring invasive mechanical ventilation; 9. Severe circulatory failure requiring the use of high dose vasopressors (e.g., dopamine \>15 μg/kg/min, or epinephrine \>0.1 μg/kg/min, or norepinephrine \>0.1 μg/kg/min); the use of terlipressin or low-dose norepinephrine to treat hepatorenal syndrome is not an exclusion criterion; 10. Uncontrolled severe infection with hemodynamic instability or shock; patients may be enrolled provided anti-infectives have been administered for at least 48 hours prior to BL with an appropriate response as assessed by the Principal Investigator (PI); 11. Need for Renal replacement therapy (RRT) or any extracorporeal liver support device; 12. Any significant disease considered to be potentially detrimental or would preclude the patient from participating in and completing the study as assessed by the PI. This includes but is not limited to hepatocellular carcinoma outside Milan criteria, cholangiocarcinoma, extrahepatic cancer over the past 2 years, or people who inject drugs; 13. Individuals for whom the PI deems that study participation would be unsafe or not in the interest of the patient; 14. Pregnancy or lactation; 15. Women of childbearing potential and non-sterile male patients who are not willing to use adequate contraception from SCR to 30 days after the final dose of investigational medicinal product (IMP); 16. Participation in another interventional clinical trial within 30 days of SCR.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF) are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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
-
96 Jonathan Lucas St, CSB (Main Hospital), Suite 908
Charleston, South Carolina, 29425, United States
-
Georgian Clinics" Kutaisi Referral Hospital 2, Otskheli str.
Kutaisi, 4600, Georgia
-
LEPL The First University Clinic of Tbilisi State, Medical University, Gudamakari str.4,,LEPL The First University Clinic
Tbilisi, 0141, Georgia
-
LLC Geo Hospitals Tbilisi, Multiprofile Medical Center, Tsinandali ,str. 9/3
Tbilisi, 0144, Georgia
-
Nouvel Hôpital Civil, Service de Medecine Intensive Reanimation, 1, place de l'Hôpital
Strasbourg, 67091, France
-
Tbilisi State Medical University and Ingorokva, High Medical Technology University Clinic, Tsinandali Street
Tbilisi, 0144, Georgia
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Gut bacteria in a capsule: a new attempt to calm a brain complication of cirrhosis
- Can a Two-Drug combo keep cirrhosis patients out of the hospital?
- Can viral markers predict who survives hepatitis b liver failure?
- Could common heartburn drugs raise brain risk after liver shunt?
- Can a smaller stent tame brain fog after liver shunt surgery?
- A simple test could flag kidney danger in cirrhosis patients