Register a trial

The ANZCTR website will be unavailable from 1pm until 3pm (AEDT) on Wednesday the 30th of October for website maintenance. Please be sure to log out of the system in order to avoid any loss of data.

The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been endorsed by the ANZCTR. Before participating in a study, talk to your health care provider and refer to this information for consumers
Trial details imported from ClinicalTrials.gov

For full trial details, please see the original record at https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02261727




Registration number
NCT02261727
Ethics application status
Date submitted
7/05/2014
Date registered
10/10/2014

Titles & IDs
Public title
Theophylline and Steroids in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Study
Scientific title
The Effect of Low-dose Corticosteroids and Theophylline on the Risk of Acute Exacerbations of COPD: the TASCS Randomised Clinical Trial
Secondary ID [1] 0 0
1033117
Secondary ID [2] 0 0
TGI-Resp-01
Universal Trial Number (UTN)
Trial acronym
TASCS
Linked study record

Health condition
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied:
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 0 0
Condition category
Condition code
Respiratory 0 0 0 0
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Intervention/exposure
Study type
Interventional
Description of intervention(s) / exposure
Treatment: Drugs - Theophylline
Treatment: Drugs - Prednisone
Treatment: Drugs - Placebo (for prednisone)
Treatment: Drugs - Placebo (for Theophylline)

Placebo comparator: Placebo - Placebo theophylline, one tablet twice daily, and Placebo prednisone, one tablet once daily

Active comparator: Low-dose theophylline arm - Theophylline 100 mg twice daily

Active comparator: Theophylline and Prednisone arm - Theophylline 100 mg twice daily plus prednisone 5 mg once daily


Treatment: Drugs: Theophylline
Theophylline is an oral methylxanthine which relaxes smooth muscle through its action as a phosphodiesterase inhibitor

Treatment: Drugs: Prednisone
Prednisone is an oral glucocorticosteroid which has anti-inflammatory properties

Treatment: Drugs: Placebo (for prednisone)
* Arm 1 : Theophylline Placebo 1 tab twice daily and Prednisone placebo 1 tab once daily
* Arm 2 : Theophylline 100mg 1 tab twice daily and Prednisone placebo 1 tab once daily

Treatment: Drugs: Placebo (for Theophylline)
One tablet twice daily in arm 1 (theophylline placebo 1 BD + prednisone placebo 1 once daily)
Intervention code [1] 0 0
Treatment: Drugs
Comparator / control treatment
Control group

Outcomes
Primary outcome [1] 0 0
Total COPD Exacerbation Rate
Timepoint [1] 0 0
48 weeks observation; rate annualised
Secondary outcome [1] 0 0
Time to First COPD Exacerbation
Timepoint [1] 0 0
Median time (days) from randomisation to first exacerbation over a 48 week period per participant
Secondary outcome [2] 0 0
Quality of Life Measured by St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ)
Timepoint [2] 0 0
Change over 48 week study duration
Secondary outcome [3] 0 0
Post Bronchodilator FEV1
Timepoint [3] 0 0
Change at 48 weeks
Secondary outcome [4] 0 0
Change in COPD Assessment Test (CAT) Score
Timepoint [4] 0 0
48 weeks

Eligibility
Key inclusion criteria
* Current or former smokers (> 10 pack years) or biomass exposure
* 40 - 80 years of age
* Clinical diagnosis of COPD
* Post-bronchodilator FEV1 < 70% predicted
* Post bronchodilator FEV1/FVC ratio < 0.7
Minimum age
40 Years
Maximum age
80 Years
Sex
Both males and females
Can healthy volunteers participate?
No
Key exclusion criteria
* Life expectancy of less than 12 months
* Exacerbation or respiratory infection within 4 weeks prior to randomisation
* Patient is taking and requires maintenance oral corticosteroids
* Patient is on domiciliary oxygen
* There has been previous pulmonary resection
* Previous sensitivity to, or intolerance of theophylline
* Coexistent illness precluding participation in the study (epilepsy, chronic liver disease, unstable cardiovascular disease, diabetes, active malignancy)
* Inability to complete quality of life questionnaire
* Concomitant major illness that would interfere with visits, assessments and follow-up
* Have evidence of chronic liver disease, or transaminase or gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) elevation > 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Random blood glucose level > 8mmol/L
* High chance in the view of the treating physician that the patient will not adhere to study treatment and follow up

Study design
Purpose of the study
Treatment
Allocation to intervention
Randomised controlled trial
Procedure for enrolling a subject and allocating the treatment (allocation concealment procedures)
Methods used to generate the sequence in which subjects will be randomised (sequence generation)
Masking / blinding
Blinded (masking used)
Who is / are masked / blinded?
The people receiving the treatment/s

The people assessing the outcomes
The people analysing the results/data
Intervention assignment
Parallel
Other design features
Phase
Phase 4
Type of endpoint/s
Statistical methods / analysis

Recruitment
Recruitment status
Completed
Data analysis
Reason for early stopping/withdrawal
Other reasons
Date of first participant enrolment
Anticipated
Actual
1/06/2014
Date of last participant enrolment
Anticipated
Actual
Date of last data collection
Anticipated
Actual
14/05/2018
Sample size
Target
Accrual to date
Final
1670
Recruitment in Australia
Recruitment state(s)
NSW
Recruitment hospital [1] 0 0
The George Institute for Global Health - Sydney
Recruitment postcode(s) [1] 0 0
2000 - Sydney

Funding & Sponsors
Primary sponsor type
Other
Name
The George Institute
Address
Country
Other collaborator category [1] 0 0
Other
Name [1] 0 0
National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia
Address [1] 0 0
Country [1] 0 0

Ethics approval
Ethics application status

Summary
Brief summary
Trial website
Trial related presentations / publications
Public notes

Contacts
Principal investigator
Name 0 0
Norbert Berend, MD
Address 0 0
The George Institute
Country 0 0
Phone 0 0
Fax 0 0
Email 0 0
Contact person for public queries
Name 0 0
Address 0 0
Country 0 0
Phone 0 0
Fax 0 0
Email 0 0
Contact person for scientific queries

Data sharing statement
Will individual participant data (IPD) for this trial be available (including data dictionaries)?
No
No/undecided IPD sharing reason/comment


What supporting documents are/will be available?




Results publications and other study-related documents

No documents have been uploaded by study researchers.


Results are available at https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02261727