Study to Compare the Efficacy of Mycophenolate Mofetil in Systemic Sclerosis Related Early Interstitial Lung Disease (MYILD)

Study to Compare the Efficacy of Mycophenolate Mofetil in Systemic Sclerosis Related Early Interstitial Lung Disease

A Randomized Controlled Trial to Compare the Efficacy of Oral Mycophenolate Mofetil With Placebo in Patients With Systemic Sclerosis Related Early Interstitial Lung Disease

Systemic sclerosis is a multisystem disease and can involve the lungs in the form of ILD. Lung involvement is the most common cause of death in these patients. The present study is performed to study the efficacy of oral mycophenolate mofetil in treating early and mild ILD in patients of SSc. The efficacy and side effects of mycophenolate mofetil will be compared with that of oral placebo.

Lung involvement is the leading cause of death among patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Treatment with immunosuppression drugs helps in retarding the progression of interstitial lung disease (ILD) and improves the morbidity and mortality among these patients. Presently, cyclophosphamide has been shown to be useful in stabilizing the lung functions among patients of systemic sclerosis with ILD. But use of cyclophosphamide is also associated with many adverse effects including infections, cytopenias, gonadal dysfunction and malignancies. Use of oral mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in SSc-ILD in recent studies has been shown to be effective in retarding progression of ILD among these patients with a better side effect profile compared to cyclophosphamide. Contemporary expert opinion dictates that the treatment for SSc-ILD needs to be individualized. Generally, intense immunosuppression is required in patients with FVC <70% of the predicted. In patients with FVC >70% of the predicted, the need for high dose immunosuppression is not clear and varies from center-to-center. The present study is designed to determine the efficacy of oral MMF in patients with SSc related early ILD. The subjects in this study will be given either oral MMF or placebo and will be monitored for their response and adverse events. Informed consent will be taken from the subjects before including in the study.

Subjects will be started on Mycophenolate Mofetil 500mg twice a day and increased by 500mg every 2 weeks, if tolerated, to a target dose of 2gram per day.

Subjects in this arm will be given matching placebo, made of lactulose, starting at two tablets per day and increased by one tablet every 2 weeks to a target of 4 tablets per day.

Subjects will be given oral Mycophenolate Mofetil starting at 500mg twice a day and increased gradually to a target dose of 2gram per day for 6 months

Change from baseline in Forced vital capacity (FVC) at 6 months, after treatment with oral mycophenolate mofetil or placebo

Change from baseline in Quality of Life (QoL) score by Medical Outcome Short Form 36 (SF-36v2) at 6 months

Number of participants with serious and non seroius adverse events with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and placebo

Change in Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) from baseline to 6 months according to antibody (anti-centromere and anti-topoisomerase1) profile

Inclusion Criteria: Patients of systemic sclerosis with presence of interstitial lung disease on High Resolution Computer Tomography (HRCT) chest FVC ≥ 70% of predicted on pulmonary function tests Age ≥18 years Consenting for participating in study Exclusion Criteria: Received immunosuppression (except low dose steroids, prednisolone equivalent ≤10 mg/day) for ILD in the last 3 years Persistent leucopenia or thrombocytopenia Pregnant or breastfeeding females Severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (mean pulmonary arterial pressure >55mmHg) requiring drug therapy Uncontrolled congestive heart failure Any other abnormalities noted on chest X-ray or HRCT other than ILD Active infection Inflammatory myositis Overlap syndrome Mixed connective tissue disease Other serious co-morbidities which could compromise patient's ability to complete the study

Tashkin DP, Elashoff R, Clements PJ, Goldin J, Roth MD, Furst DE, Arriola E, Silver R, Strange C, Bolster M, Seibold JR, Riley DJ, Hsu VM, Varga J, Schraufnagel DE, Theodore A, Simms R, Wise R, Wigley F, White B, Steen V, Read C, Mayes M, Parsley E, Mubarak K, Connolly MK, Golden J, Olman M, Fessler B, Rothfield N, Metersky M; Scleroderma Lung Study Research Group. Cyclophosphamide versus placebo in scleroderma lung disease. N Engl J Med. 2006 Jun 22;354(25):2655-66. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa055120.

Hoyles RK, Ellis RW, Wellsbury J, Lees B, Newlands P, Goh NS, Roberts C, Desai S, Herrick AL, McHugh NJ, Foley NM, Pearson SB, Emery P, Veale DJ, Denton CP, Wells AU, Black CM, du Bois RM. A multicenter, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of corticosteroids and intravenous cyclophosphamide followed by oral azathioprine for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis in scleroderma. Arthritis Rheum. 2006 Dec;54(12):3962-70. doi: 10.1002/art.22204.

Tashkin DP, Roth MD, Clements PJ, Furst DE, Khanna D, Kleerup EC, Goldin J, Arriola E, Volkmann ER, Kafaja S, Silver R, Steen V, Strange C, Wise R, Wigley F, Mayes M, Riley DJ, Hussain S, Assassi S, Hsu VM, Patel B, Phillips K, Martinez F, Golden J, Connolly MK, Varga J, Dematte J, Hinchcliff ME, Fischer A, Swigris J, Meehan R, Theodore A, Simms R, Volkov S, Schraufnagel DE, Scholand MB, Frech T, Molitor JA, Highland K, Read CA, Fritzler MJ, Kim GHJ, Tseng CH, Elashoff RM; Sclerodema Lung Study II Investigators. Mycophenolate mofetil versus oral cyclophosphamide in scleroderma-related interstitial lung disease (SLS II): a randomised controlled, double-blind, parallel group trial. Lancet Respir Med. 2016 Sep;4(9):708-719. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(16)30152-7. Epub 2016 Jul 25.

Naidu GSRSNK, Sharma SK, Adarsh MB, Dhir V, Sinha A, Dhooria S, Jain S. Effect of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) on systemic sclerosis-related interstitial lung disease with mildly impaired lung function: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. Rheumatol Int. 2020 Feb;40(2):207-216. doi: 10.1007/s00296-019-04481-8. Epub 2019 Dec 7.