Recruiting

First-Line Treatment

Sponsor:

University of Calgary

Code:

NCT05928039

Conditions

Crohn Disease

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

TNFa Antagonist - Infliximab

TNFa Antagonist - Adalimumab

Anti-IL12/23 or anti-IL23 - Ustekinumab

Anti-IL12/23 or anti-IL23 - Risankizumab

Anti-integrin - Vedolizumab IV

Study Details

Brief summary:

There are currently three classes of biologic treatments approved in Canada for the management of moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease: anti-tumor necrosis factor \[TNF\] alpha, anti-integrin, and anti-interleukin \[IL\]-23 targeted agents. The purpose of this trial is to determine which of these three classes of biologics results in the highest percentage of patients with small bowel (ileal) Crohn's disease entering into endoscopic remission without needing corticosteroids at 1 year. Endoscopic remission means that the ulcers in the small bowel from Crohn's disease have healed. All treatments in this trial are approved by Health Canada. No experimental drugs will be included.

Conditions

Crohn Disease

Study ID

NCT05928039

Start date

Oct 25, 2023

Status verified date

Jun, 2025

Completion date

Dec 31, 2028

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jul 30, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Male or nonpregnant, nonlactating females, 18 years of age or older. Females of childbearing potential must have a negative serum or urine pregnancy test prior to randomization
2. Established CD diagnosis by conventional criteria
3. Baseline colonoscopy within 3 months of the first day of the screening period, with photo or video documentation of at least one large ileal ulcer >5 mm and ileal segment SES-CD ≥4 (eligibility will be determined by local endoscopist, with subsequent confirmation by a CR at a later time, post enrolment)
4. HBI ≥5
5. Biologic-treatment naïve for CD-related therapies
6. Would otherwise have been eligible to start a biologic for moderate-to-severely active CD as part of their routine clinical care and for whom there is equipoise around which biologic class to start
7. Willing and able to participate fully in all aspects of this clinical trial, including adherence to study protocol and treatment algorithm
8. Written informed consent must be obtained and documented

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Condition(s) for which the biologics included in this study is contraindicated
2. CD-related complications such as symptomatic, endoscopically impassable strictures or abscesses that require imminent surgery (at investigator's discretion)
3. Participants with current or history of colonic dysplasia or neoplasia, toxic megacolon, or fulminant colitis
4. Recent bowel resection <3 months before screening
5. Active enteric infection (positive stool culture), including but not limited to bacterial (including C. difficile), viral, or parasitic enteric infections
6. Known active hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or human immunodeficiency virus infection
7. Active COVID-19 infection during the screening period
8. Tested positive as part of SOC for tuberculosis (TB) at screening by QuantiFERON® TB Gold Test, tuberculin skin test, or history of untreated latent or active TB
9. History of malignancy within 5 years of screening, except fully treated carcinoma in-situ of the cervix, fully treated and resolved nonmetastatic squamous or basal cell carcinoma of the skin
10. Active chronic or acute infections requiring treatment with systemic antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, antiparasitics, or antiprotozoals during the screening period
11. Serious underlying disease other than CD that, in the opinion of the investigator, may interfere with the participant's ability to participate fully in the study
12. Not willing to withhold protocol-prohibited medications during the trial, or planned or anticipated use of any prohibited medications during screening
13. Received previously or currently receiving a TNF antagonist, anti-integrin, monoclonal antibody targeting IL-12/23 or IL-23, Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, or sphingosine 1 phosphate (S1P) receptor modulators (irrespective of indication)
14. History of alcohol or drug abuse that, in the opinion of the investigator, may interfere with the participant's ability to comply with the study procedures

Study Design

Enrollment

297 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

active comparator: TNFα antagonist

Participants will receive either:

  • Infliximab 5 mg/kg intravenously \[IV\] at weeks 0, 2, 6, then 5 mg/kg every 8 weeks; OR
  • Adalimumab subcutaneously \[SC\] 160 mg at week 0, 80 mg at week 2, then 40 mg every 2 weeks

active comparator: Anti-IL12/23 or anti-IL23

Participants will receive either:

  • Ustekinumab \~6 mg/kg IV x1, then 90 mg SC every 8 weeks; OR
  • Risankizumab 600 mg IV at weeks 0, 4, and 8, then 360 mg SC every 8 weeks

active comparator: Anti-integrin

Participants will receive either:

  • Vedolizumab 300 mg IV at weeks 0, 2, and 6, then every 8 weeks; OR
  • Vedolizumab 300 mg IV at weeks 0 and 2, then 108 mg SC every 2 weeks

Interventions

TNFa Antagonist - Infliximab

• Infliximab 5 mg/kg intravenously \[IV\] at weeks 0, 2, 6, then 5 mg/kg every 8 weeks

TNFa Antagonist - Adalimumab

• Adalimumab subcutaneously \[SC\] 160 mg at week 0, 80 mg at week 2, then 40 mg every 2 weeks

Anti-IL12/23 or anti-IL23 - Ustekinumab

• Ustekinumab \~6 mg/kg IV x1, then 90 mg SC every 8 weeks

Anti-IL12/23 or anti-IL23 - Risankizumab

• Risankizumab 600 mg IV at weeks 0, 4, and 8, then 360 mg SC every 8 weeks

Anti-integrin - Vedolizumab IV

• Vedolizumab 300 mg IV at weeks 0, 2, and 6, then every 8 weeks

Anti-integrin - Vedolizumab IV and SC

• Vedolizumab 300 mg IV at weeks 0 and 2, then 108 mg SC every 2 weeks

Primary outcome measure

  • Corticosteroid-free endoscopic remission [ Time Frame: 1 year ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Locations

University of Calgary

Recruiting

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Contacts

Principal Investigator:

Christopher Ma, MD MPH

University of Alberta IBD Clinic

Recruiting

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Principal Investigator:

Frank Hoentjen, MD

McMaster University

Recruiting

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Principal Investigator:

Neeraj Narula, MD

The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Recruiting

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Principal Investigator:

Sanjay Murthy, MD

Mount Sinai Hospital

Recruiting

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Principal Investigator:

Laura Targownik, MD

Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)

Recruiting

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Principal Investigator:

Robert Battat, MD

Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur-de-Montréal

Recruiting

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Principal Investigator:

Jean-Frédéric LeBlanc, MD

Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC)

Recruiting

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Principal Investigator:

Talat Bessisow, MD

More Information

Sponsor

University of Calgary

Last update posted

Jun 11, 2025

Last verified

Jun, 2025

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Calgary on 2025-06-11.