Clinical trial Recruiting at 13 sites Phase 3 Interventional Ages 28 Days to 18

Evaluating the safety of tolvaptan in children with ARPKD

Official title: A Phase 3b Multicenter Open-label Trial of the Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Tolvaptan in Infants and Children 28 Days to Less Than 18 Years of Age With Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease (ARPKD)

Run by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. · NCT04782258 · Data updated 2026-11-12

This study is testing if the medication tolvaptan is safe for children with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) over an 18-month period.

More Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease trials

Quick facts

PhasePhase 3
Study typeInterventional
Ages28 Days to 18 Years
SexAll
Enrollment20 (estimated)
SponsorOtsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc.
Industry-sponsored
Locations23 sites (Washington D.C., District of Columbia and 22 other locations)
StatusRecruiting
StartedJanuary 23, 2023
Main results expectedDecember 28, 2028
Study endsDecember 28, 2028
Registry record updatedOctober 23, 2026
Trial IDNCT04782258 on ClinicalTrials.gov

Is this trial a fit for you?

Likely a good fit

Ideal candidates for this study are infants and children aged 28 days to less than 18 years with a confirmed diagnosis of ARPKD.

Probably not a fit

Patients who have undergone kidney transplantation or have severe liver dysfunction may not benefit from this study.

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This clinical trial aims to assess the safety of tolvaptan in pediatric patients diagnosed with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD). It is a multinational, multicenter, open-label, non-randomized study that includes a screening period, a treatment period with tolvaptan, and a follow-up period. Participants will be monitored for 18 months to evaluate the drug's effects on kidney function and overall health. The trial is expected to last approximately 3.5 years.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this study could provide a new treatment option that may improve kidney function and quality of life for children with ARPKD.

How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have shown that tolvaptan can delay kidney function decline in adults with a related condition, suggesting potential for success in this pediatric population.

Who can join: the full rules

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

1. Male or female subjects between 28 days and less than 18 years of age, with clinical features that are consistent with a diagnosis of ARPKD.
2. Ability for parent/legal guardian to provide written, informed consent prior to initiation of any trial-related procedures, and ability, in the opinion of the principal investigator, to comply with all the requirements of the trial. Ability to provide written informed assent from all subjects old enough per local laws to provide assent.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Premature birth (≤ 32 weeks gestational age) for infants 28 days to \< 12 weeks of age.
2. Anuria or RRT defined as intermittent or continuous hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, hemofiltration, hemodiafiltration or history of kidney transplantation.
3. Evidence of syndromic conditions associated with renal cysts (other than ARPKD).
4. Abnormal liver function tests including ALT and AST, \> 1.2 × ULN (upper limit of normal).
5. Has splenomegaly or portal hypertension (HTN).
6. Parents with renal cystic disease.
7. Receiving chronic diuretic that could not be adjusted after tolvaptan initiation.
8. Cannot be monitored for fluid balance.
9. Has or at risk of having sodium and potassium electrolyte imbalances, as determined by the investigator.
10. Has or at risk of having significant hypovolemia as determined by investigator.
11. Clinically significant anemia, as determined by investigator.
12. Platelets \< 50000 µL.
13. Severe systolic dysfunction defined as ejection fraction \< 14%.
14. Serum sodium levels \< 130 mmol/L or \>145 mmol/L.
15. Taking any other experimental medications.
16. Require ventilator support.
17. Taking medications known to induce CYP3A4 (CYP = Cytochrome P).
18. Having an infection including viral that would require therapy disruptive to IMP (Investigational Medicinal Product) dosing.
19. Females who are breast-feeding or who have a positive pregnancy test result prior to receiving IMP.
20. Subjects with a history of substance abuse (within the last 6 months).
21. Subjects who have bladder dysfunction and/or difficulty voiding.
22. Subjects taking a vasopressin agonist (eg, desmopressin).
23. Subjects with a history of persistent noncompliance with antihypertensive or other important medical therapy.
24. Subjects taking medications or having concomitant illnesses likely to confound endpoint assessments, including taking approved (ie, marketed) therapies for the purpose of affecting PKD cysts such as tolvaptan, vasopressin antagonists, anti-sense ribonucleic acid (RNA) therapies, rapamycin, sirolimus, everolimus, or somatostatin analogs (ie, octreotide, sandostatin).
25. Received or are scheduled to receive a liver transplant.
26. History of cholangitis within the last 6 months.
27. Has findings consistent with clinically significant portal hypertension (eg, varices, variceal bleeding, hypersplenism indicated by thrombocytopenia).
28. Subjects who do not agree to remain abstinent or assent to use a combination of 2 of the following highly effective birth control methods for at least 28 days before the first dose of IMP, during the trial (including during IMP dose interruptions), and for at least 30 days after the last dose of IMP:

    * Barrier method of contraception: condoms (male or female) with or without a spermicidal agent, diaphragm or cervical cap with spermicide
    * Intrauterine device
    * Hormone-based contraceptives which are associated with inhibition of ovulation.

Where it's running

  • Children's National Medical Center
    Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States
    Recruiting
  • Johns Hopkins Pediatric Specialty Clinic
    Baltimore, Maryland, United States
    Recruiting
  • C.S. Mott Children's Hospital
    Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
    Recruiting
  • Mayo Clinic - Rochester
    Rochester, Minnesota, United States
    Recruiting
  • Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
    Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
    Recruiting
  • Cleveland Clinic
    Cleveland, Ohio, United States
    Recruiting
Show 17 more locations
  • Université Catholique De Louvain And Cliniques St Luc
    Brussels, Brussels Capital, Belgium
    Recruiting
  • Universitair Ziekenhuis Gent
    Ghent, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
    Recruiting
  • UZ Leuven
    Leuven, Vlaams Brabant, Belgium
    Recruiting
  • Universitätsklinikum Köln
    Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
    Recruiting
  • Universitat de Barcelona - Hospital Sant Joan de Deu Barcelona (HSJDB)
    Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
    Recruiting
  • Hospital Universitari Vall D Hebron
    Barcelona, Spain
    Recruiting
  • Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust
    London, United Kingdom
    Recruiting
  • Emory University Hospital
    Atlanta, Georgia, United States
    Withdrawn
  • Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine - Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago - Neonatology
    Chicago, Illinois, United States
    Withdrawn
  • Riley Hospital for Children
    Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
    Withdrawn
  • Children's Hospital - New Orleans
    New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
    Withdrawn
  • Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
    Withdrawn
  • Primary Children's Hospital
    Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
    Withdrawn
  • Instytut "Pomnik - Centrum Zdrowia Dziecka"
    Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland
    Withdrawn
  • Uniwersytecki Dzieciecy Szpital Kliniczny im. L. Zamenhofa
    Bialystok, Poland
    Withdrawn
  • Hospital Universitari Parc Tauli
    Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain
    Withdrawn
  • Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío Avenida Manuel Siurot
    Seville, Spain
    Withdrawn

Study contacts

Similar studies

Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.

  • Imaging to track ARPKD kidney disease progression

    This project will test whether quick, quantitative non-contrast MRI scans can reliably track kidney disease progression in people aged 6 and older with ARPKD compared with healthy controls.

    Recruiting at 2 sites The Cleveland Clinic · Cleveland, Ohio and 1 other locations · NCT07201025

  • Non-invasive prenatal diagnosis for single gene disorders

    This study is testing a new way to safely diagnose single-gene disorders in unborn babies using a simple blood test from the mother, starting as early as 9 weeks into the pregnancy.

    Recruiting Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris · Paris · NCT06147414

  • National Registry for Rare Kidney Diseases

    This study is collecting health information from people with rare kidney diseases to help improve treatments and create better care guidelines.

    Recruiting UK Kidney Association · Bristol, South West · NCT06065852

  • Resource for Hepato/Renal Fibrocystic Diseases

    This study is trying to collect detailed health and genetic information from people with hepato/renal fibrocystic diseases to improve understanding and treatment options for these conditions.

    Recruiting at 4 sites Children's Hospital of Philadelphia · Washington D.C., District of Columbia and 5 other locations · NCT01401998

How to take part

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.