Updated May 2026 · ClinicalTrials.gov

RECRUITINGPhase 2INTERVENTIONAL

Phase 2 Study Evaluating Rapcabtagene Autoleucel in Participants With Diffuse Cutaneous Systemic Sclerosis

A Phase II, Multi-part, Randomized, Open-label, Assessor-blinded, Active-controlled, Multicenter Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Rapcabtagene Autoleucel Versus Rituximab Treatment in Participants With Severe Refractory Diffuse Cutaneous Systemic Sclerosis

Phase 2 Study Evaluating Rapcabtagene Autoleucel in Participants With Diffuse Cutaneous Systemic Sclerosis (NCT06655896) is a Phase 2 interventional studying Scleroderma, Diffuse, sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals. RECRUITING as of the most recent ClinicalTrials.gov update. Talk to your doctor before contacting the trial site.

About This Trial

What Stage of Research Is This?

Phase 2 trials evaluate whether a treatment actually works against Scleroderma, Diffuse and continue monitoring side effects. Phase 2 enrolls larger groups (typically 100–300 patients) and produces the first real efficacy signal. A successful Phase 2 readout is what unlocks the much larger Phase 3 confirmatory trials needed for FDA approval.

This trial is currently recruiting participants. The sponsor has registered the study with ClinicalTrials.gov as actively enrolling, which means new applicants who meet the eligibility criteria can be considered for screening. Trial status can change between updates — confirm current recruiting status with the study contact before traveling for a screening visit.

Target enrollment of 96 participants puts this in the typical range for a Phase 2-style efficacy study or a moderate Phase 3 trial in a focused Scleroderma, Diffuse subpopulation. At this scale, the study has enough statistical power to detect a clear treatment effect but is not the largest cohort in the field.

Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)

Who May Qualify: 1. Participant must fulfill the 2013 American College of Rheumatology/ European League Against Rheumatism classification criteria for systemic sclerosis and meet the diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) subset classification according to LeRoy. 2. Disease onset from the first non-Raynaud symptoms attributable to SSc (e.g., puffy hands, scleroderma, digital ulcers, arthralgia, dyspnea) within 7 years prior to the Screening visit. 3. Severe, progressive systemic sclerosis disease defined by at least one of the following: - Progressive systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease - Severe, progressive systemic sclerosis skin disease - Clinically significant systemic sclerosis-associated cardiac involvement at Screening 4. All recommended vaccinations received according to institutional, local or global guidelines for immuno-compromised patients. Who Should NOT Join This Trial: 1. Any condition during Screening that could prevent a complete washout of medications as required per protocol or could otherwise make the participant ineligible for anti-CD19 CAR-T therapy and further participation in the study, as judged by the Investigator. 2. Participants with history of hypersensitivity to excipients in rapcabtagene autoleucel or to rituximab. 3. Any participant for whom treatment with rituximab is clinically inappropriate in the opinion of the investigator. 4. Any medical conditions that are not related to SSc that, in the opinion of the Investigator, would jeopardize the ability of the participant to tolerate lymphodepletion and anti-CD19 CAR-T cell therapy. 5. Rheumatic disease other than dcSSc, (except secondary Sjogren's syndrome or scleroderma myopathy),including limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (lcSSc) or sine scleroderma at Screening. 6. Participants with pre-existing pulmonary hypertension. 7. Significant renal pathology at Screening. 8. Participants with uncontrolled stage II hypertension at Screening. ...See full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov Always talk to your doctor about whether this trial is right for you.

These are translations of the protocol\'s inclusion and exclusion criteria, simplified for patients and caregivers. The original clinical text appears below. Eligibility is ultimately confirmed by the trial site\'s screening process — this summary is a starting point for a conversation with your doctor, not a final determination.

Original Eligibility Criteria

View original clinical language

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Participant must fulfill the 2013 American College of Rheumatology/ European League Against Rheumatism classification criteria for systemic sclerosis and meet the diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) subset classification according to LeRoy. 2. Disease onset from the first non-Raynaud symptoms attributable to SSc (e.g., puffy hands, scleroderma, digital ulcers, arthralgia, dyspnea) within 7 years prior to the Screening visit. 3. Severe, progressive systemic sclerosis disease defined by at least one of the following: * Progressive systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease * Severe, progressive systemic sclerosis skin disease * Clinically significant systemic sclerosis-associated cardiac involvement at Screening 4. All recommended vaccinations received according to institutional, local or global guidelines for immuno-compromised patients. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Any condition during Screening that could prevent a complete washout of medications as required per protocol or could otherwise make the participant ineligible for anti-CD19 CAR-T therapy and further participation in the study, as judged by the Investigator. 2. Participants with history of hypersensitivity to excipients in rapcabtagene autoleucel or to rituximab. 3. Any participant for whom treatment with rituximab is clinically inappropriate in the opinion of the investigator. 4. Any medical conditions that are not related to SSc that, in the opinion of the Investigator, would jeopardize the ability of the participant to tolerate lymphodepletion and anti-CD19 CAR-T cell therapy. 5. Rheumatic disease other than dcSSc, (except secondary Sjogren's syndrome or scleroderma myopathy),including limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (lcSSc) or sine scleroderma at Screening. 6. Participants with pre-existing pulmonary hypertension. 7. Significant renal pathology at Screening. 8. Participants with uncontrolled stage II hypertension at Screening. 9. Vaccination with live attenuated vaccines within 6 weeks prior to randomization. Other protocol-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria may apply.

Treatments Being Tested

BIOLOGICAL

rapcabtagene autoleucel

single infusion of rapcabtagene autoleucel after lymphodepleting therapy with fludarabine (adjusted based on renal impairment) and cyclophosphamide daily for 3 days.

BIOLOGICAL

rituximab

rituximab intravenous infusion (i.v.) as per protocol

Locations (20)

Trial sites listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for this study. Site activation status can vary — confirm with the specific site before traveling for a screening visit.

UCLA

Los Angeles, California, United States

UCSF

San Francisco, California, United States

UCSF

San Francisco, California, United States

Sutter Health Network

San Pablo, California, United States

FL Medical Clinic Orlando Health

Zephyrhills, Florida, United States

Northwestern University

Chicago, Illinois, United States

University Of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa, United States

Boston Medical Center

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Michigan Med University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

University of Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

James Cancer Hospital

Columbus, Ohio, United States

Oregon Health Sciences University

Portland, Oregon, United States

Avera Cancer

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States

LDS Hospital

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Novartis Investigative Site

Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia

Novartis Investigative Site

Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia

Novartis Investigative Site

Graz, Austria

Novartis Investigative Site

Vienna, Austria

Novartis Investigative Site

São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

Novartis Investigative Site

Olomouc, Czechia

How to Talk to Your Doctor About This Trial

Bring the printable summary of this trial — including the NCT ID (NCT06655896), the sponsor (Novartis Pharmaceuticals), and the key eligibility criteria — to your next appointment. Your doctor can review the inclusion and exclusion criteria against your medical history, lab values, and current treatments to assess whether you are likely to qualify. They can also help you weigh whether trial participation makes sense alongside your existing care plan.

Useful questions to walk through together: What does the trial protocol require beyond standard care? How long is the active treatment phase, and how long is follow-up? Are there study visits at sites I can reach? Who pays for the trial-specific procedures, and who pays for standard-of-care portions? See our 25 questions to ask about clinical trials guide for a more complete checklist.

Authoritative Sources

The official record for this trial lives on ClinicalTrials.gov — the federal registry maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. For background on how this trial fits into the FDA approval pathway, see the FDA drug approval process. For oncology-specific guidance for patients considering trials, the National Cancer Institute publishes patient-oriented overviews. International trial registries are aggregated by the WHO ICTRP.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NCT06655896 clinical trial studying?

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of rapcabtagene autoleucel (administered once following lymphodepletion) in participants with severe refractory diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis relative to rituximab. The full protocol is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and includes the primary outcome measures, eligibility criteria, and study endpoints.

Who can participate in NCT06655896?

Eligibility for this trial depends on the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria set by the sponsor. The plain-English summary above translates the most important criteria into accessible language; the official clinical text is preserved in the collapsible section underneath. Whether you fit any specific trial is a medical decision your doctor needs to confirm — bring the trial information to your treating physician for a full review against your medical history.

How do I contact the trial site for NCT06655896?

Contact information registered with ClinicalTrials.gov is shown in the sidebar of this page. Before reaching out, confirm with your treating physician that this trial is appropriate for your situation. The trial site will then walk you through the screening process to determine final eligibility.

Is participating in a clinical trial safe?

Clinical trials in the United States are regulated by the FDA and overseen by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) that review the protocol for safety. Risk varies by trial — Phase 1 studies test new treatments in humans for the first time, while Phase 3 trials use treatments that have already passed earlier safety screening. The informed consent document for any specific trial details the known risks and what to expect. Discuss those risks with your physician before deciding whether to participate.

Where can I verify the data on this page?

Every detail on this page comes directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API. Click "View on ClinicalTrials.gov" in the sidebar to see the official, unmodified record. The federal record is always authoritative; this page is a structured presentation with a plain-English eligibility translation. For background on how clinical trials are regulated, see the FDA drug approval process documentation.

How This Page Is Built

Every field on this page is pulled directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 — no estimates, no proxies. The plain-English eligibility translation is generated from the original protocol text and reviewed for fidelity to the underlying clinical criteria. The original clinical text remains visible in the collapsible section above so users and clinicians can verify the translation. Read the full methodology for the data pipeline and known limitations.

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 record for NCT06655896. Maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. Public domain. Cite as: "TrialFinderData. NCT06655896. Data: ClinicalTrials.gov."

Medical disclaimer: This page is informational, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

Last updated 2026-05-08 · Data from ClinicalTrials.gov.