Description Module

Description Module

The Description Module contains narrative descriptions of the clinical trial, including a brief summary and detailed description. These descriptions provide important information about the study's purpose, methodology, and key details in language accessible to both researchers and the general public.

Description Module path is as follows:

Study -> Protocol Section -> Description Module

Description Module


Ignite Creation Date: 2025-12-24 @ 5:14 PM
Ignite Modification Date: 2025-12-24 @ 5:14 PM
NCT ID: NCT00521950
Brief Summary: The purpose of this study is to determine whether thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) genotyping prior to thiopurine use is cost-effective in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in need of immune suppression. The study is designed to test the hypothesis that optimization of initial thiopurine dose based on pre-treatment TPMT genotyping will maximize treatment efficacy and minimize adverse drug reactions (ADRs) resulting in reduced costs.
Detailed Description: Immunosuppressives, e.g. azathioprine (AZA) and 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP), are important in induction of remission and long term treatment of (ulcerative) colitis and Crohn's disease when treatment with 5-aminosalicylates and corticosteroids fails. ADRs to immunosuppressive treatment, including myelosuppression and hepatotoxicity, are frequently (15-30%) observed. Genetic variation in the TPMT gene results in 10-11% of the general population in reduced and in 0.3-0.6% to negligible TPMT enzyme activity. In IBD patients, this genetic variation predicts 25-40% of the haematological ADRs necessitating tempering of thiopurine dose or discontinuation of treatment. Pharmacogenetics aims at providing optimized drug treatment to patients by maximizing efficacy and minimizing adverse drug reactions (ADRs) based on genetic testing. Despite the proven value of pharmacogenetics in clinical practice, its use in medical care is still limited. The best-established example of a pharmacogenetic test is genotyping of thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) in the treatment of patients with immunosuppressive thiopurines. Nonetheless, it is not used on a large scale in clinical practice so far, which might be due to: insufficient information transfer from research to clinic; lack of cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs); lack of availability of (or access to) fast and/or cheap genotyping; or lack of test reimbursement by health insurance.
Study: NCT00521950
Study Brief:
Protocol Section: NCT00521950