MYTHS - MYocarditis THerapy With Steroids

Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phasePhase 3
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-69
SponsorNiguarda Hospital

About this trial

This is a phase III, multi-center international, single blind randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of pulsed intravenous (IV) methylprednisolone versus standard therapy on top of maximal support in patients with Acute myocarditis (AM).

Eligibility criteria

Qualifiers

Patients admitted to hospital for suspected AM

Age 18 years or older and below 70 years (18-69 years)

Acute HF with clinically suspected acute myocarditis based on an N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentration of 1600 pg/mL or more or a B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentration of 400 pg/mL or more;

Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)<41% and left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LV-EDD)<56 mm (parasternal long-axis view) on echocardiogram;

Disqualifiers

Known systemic autoimmune disorder or other conditions at the time of randomization where immunosuppression is assumed useful. Patients in whom a systemic autoimmune disorder will be diagnosed during hospitalization will be included in the study if randomized, including patients with a diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis or giant cell myocarditis (GCM). Both patients included in the corticosteroids-treatment arm or in the placebo-treatment arm can receive the standard immunosuppressive therapy used in the center since the diagnosis of a systemic autoimmune disorder, or cardiac sarcoidosis or GCM;

Patients already on oral/IV chronic corticosteroid therapy or other chronic immunosuppressive therapies (colchicine or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs] are not considered immunosuppressive drugs);

Contraindication to corticosteroids, including allergies to this medication and its excipients;

Patients with persistent peripheral eosinophilia (persistent Eosinophil count >7% of the leukocytes) or known hypereosinophilic syndrome at the time of randomization. Patients in whom eosinophilic myocarditis will be diagnosed on endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) will be included in the study if already randomized. Both patients included in the corticosteroids-treatment arm or in the placebo-treatment arm can receive the standard immunosuppressive therapy used in the center since the diagnosis;

Trial design

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Methylprednisolone
  • saline solution

Treatment groups

288 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groups

Sponsors and collaborators

Niguarda Hospital

Lead sponsor

Ministry of Health, Italy

Collaborator

Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri

Collaborator

University of Milano Bicocca

Collaborator

Regione Lombardia

Collaborator