Topical Pentoxifylline Gel on Behcet's Disease Oral Ulcers
brief summary
Although Behçet's Disease (BD) has no FDA-approved therapies, numerous clinical reports suggest that oral ulcers of BD may resolve when treated with systemic ingested pentoxifylline (PTX). The investigators here propose to investigate the therapeutic potential of PTX dissolved in muco-adherent formulation and directly applied to the oral lesions. This 60 patient proof of concept trial is designed to meet regulatory requirements for safety concerns while at the same time exploring the potential efficacy and clinical utility of this product. The investigators hypothesize that application of topical PTX will accelerate the healing of these lesions in a clinically meaningful way, and further hypothesize that topical PTX can become a valuable adjunct to any other systemic therapy for BD.
detailed description
Behçet's Clinic at Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty at the University of Istanbul has a long history of supportive care for BD patients and is recognized as the world leader in this regard. According to the EULAR 2018 recommended guidelines of Behcet's Disease, the first line of therapy recommended against recurring oral ulcers is colchicine. However, a significant portion of the participants undergoing colchicine therapy does not have sufficient response and require subsequent immune modulatory therapy. By comparing participants receiving colchicine as part of supportive care to those who also receive topical pentoxifylline (PTX), the investigators seek to prove the concept that topical PTX may have clinical value. Additionally, the investigators seek to demonstrate the safety and practicality of using topical PTX in BD patients. If the PTX gel therapy provides a sufficient response in participants, these participants might not need to undergo immune modulatory therapies. The risks of PTX are well characterized and previously reported adverse events were primarily gastrointestinal. The investigators expect fewer GI symptoms to result from the topical PTX application. The investigators anticipate the benefits of PTX can be optimized by a topical application, but require a trial to test that hypothesis.
official title
Clinical Protocol for Administration of Topical Pentoxifylline Gel on Behcet's Disease Oral Ulcers