Corticosteroids in Hyperinflammatory Phenotype of Critical Illness

Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Methylprednisolone in Critically Ill Patients With the Hyperinflammatory Phenotype: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Phase II Trial

Corticosteroids in Hyperinflammatory Phenotype of Critical Illness (NCT07511582) is a Phase 2 interventional studying Sepsis and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, sponsored by Bin Du. RECRUITING as of the most recent ClinicalTrials.gov update. Talk to your doctor before contacting the trial site.

About This Trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether methylprednisolone improves outcomes in critically ill patients with a hyperinflammatory phenotype. It will also evaluate the safety of methylprednisolone at different doses. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does methylprednisolone improve organ function compared with placebo? * Does methylprednisolone reduce the risk of mortality within 30 days? Researchers will compare high-dose methylprednisolone (160mg/d), low-dose methylprednisolone (80mg/d), and placebo (normal saline) to evaluate effectiveness and safety. Participants will: * Receive high-dose methylprednisolone, low-dose methylprednisolone, or placebo every 12 hours for the first 3 days * Be reassessed on Day 4 based on their inflammatory status If the hyperinflammatory phenotype persists, the treatment dose will be reduced by half and continued until Day 7 or ICU discharge, whichever occurs first If the patient transitions to a hypoinflammatory phenotype, the study treatment will be discontinued * Be monitored daily in the intensive care unit for organ function, inflammatory status, and need for organ support * Be followed for up to 30 days after randomization to assess survival and recovery

What Stage of Research Is This?

Phase 2 trials evaluate whether a treatment actually works against Sepsis 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 150 participants puts this in the typical range for a Phase 2-style efficacy study or a moderate Phase 3 trial in a focused Sepsis 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: Participants must meet all of the following criteria: 1. Age ≥18 years. 2. Diagnosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or sepsis. ARDS will be defined according to standard criteria: 1. acute onset within 1 week of a known clinical insult or new/worsening respiratory symptoms; 2. bilateral pulmonary opacities on chest imaging (X-ray or CT) or bilateral B-lines and/or consolidation on lung ultrasound, not fully explained by effusion, atelectasis, or nodules; 3. respiratory failure not fully explained by cardiac failure or fluid overload; 4. hypoxemia defined as PaO₂/FiO₂ ≤300 mmHg or SpO₂/FiO₂ ≤315 (with SpO₂ ≤97%) under a minimum positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) of 5 cmH₂O. Sepsis will be defined according to the Sepsis-3 criteria as suspected or confirmed infection with an acute increase in SOFA score ≥2 points, assuming a baseline SOFA score of 0 in patients without known prior organ dysfunction. Sepsis-associated ARDS will be defined as ARDS occurring in patients with sepsis. 3\. Receiving invasive mechanical ventilation. 4. Admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). 5. Hyperinflammatory phenotype, defined as a predicted probability ≥0.5 using a validated AI clinical classifier based on clinical data. 6\. Randomization within 72 hours of ARDS or sepsis onset. 7. Provision of written willing to sign a consent form by the patient or their legally authorized representative. Who Should NOT Join This Trial: Participants meeting any of the following criteria will be excluded: 1. Requirement for high-dose vasopressor support, defined as norepinephrine ≥0.5 μg/kg/min or epinephrine ≥0.25 μg/kg/min. 2. Post-cardiac surgery patients (e.g., coronary artery bypass grafting or valve replacement). ...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: Participants must meet all of the following criteria: 1. Age ≥18 years. 2. Diagnosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or sepsis. ARDS will be defined according to standard criteria: 1. acute onset within 1 week of a known clinical insult or new/worsening respiratory symptoms; 2. bilateral pulmonary opacities on chest imaging (X-ray or CT) or bilateral B-lines and/or consolidation on lung ultrasound, not fully explained by effusion, atelectasis, or nodules; 3. respiratory failure not fully explained by cardiac failure or fluid overload; 4. hypoxemia defined as PaO₂/FiO₂ ≤300 mmHg or SpO₂/FiO₂ ≤315 (with SpO₂ ≤97%) under a minimum positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) of 5 cmH₂O. Sepsis will be defined according to the Sepsis-3 criteria as suspected or confirmed infection with an acute increase in SOFA score ≥2 points, assuming a baseline SOFA score of 0 in patients without known prior organ dysfunction. Sepsis-associated ARDS will be defined as ARDS occurring in patients with sepsis. 3\. Receiving invasive mechanical ventilation. 4. Admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). 5. Hyperinflammatory phenotype, defined as a predicted probability ≥0.5 using a validated AI clinical classifier based on clinical data. 6\. Randomization within 72 hours of ARDS or sepsis onset. 7. Provision of written informed consent by the patient or their legally authorized representative. Exclusion Criteria: Participants meeting any of the following criteria will be excluded: 1. Requirement for high-dose vasopressor support, defined as norepinephrine ≥0.5 μg/kg/min or epinephrine ≥0.25 μg/kg/min. 2. Post-cardiac surgery patients (e.g., coronary artery bypass grafting or valve replacement). 3. Conditions requiring systemic corticosteroid therapy exceeding 1 mg/kg methylprednisolone or an equivalent dose (e.g., acute asthma exacerbation, acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or autoimmune diseases). 4. Long-term systemic corticosteroid use within the past 6 months. 5. Pregnancy or lactation. 6. Brain death. 7. Advanced malignancy or other end-stage disease with an expected survival of less than 6 months, or anticipated death within 24 hours. 8. Known hypersensitivity to methylprednisolone, including but not limited to urticaria, eczema, angioedema, bronchospasm, or anaphylaxis. 9. History of solid organ transplantation or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. 10. Active life-threatening fungal infection or tuberculosis. 11. Neuromuscular disorders affecting spontaneous respiration. 12. Severe inherited or acquired immunodeficiency (e.g., human immunodeficiency virus infection, chronic granulomatous disease, or severe combined immunodeficiency). 13. Do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment. 14. Concurrent participation in another interventional clinical trial. 15. Any other condition that, in the opinion of the treating physician or investigator, would make participation in the study inappropriate.

Treatments Being Tested

DRUG

Methylprednisolone (MP)

Methylprednisolone 80 mg intravenously every 12 hours for the first 3 days. On day 4, prior to administration, patients will be reassessed; if the hyperinflammatory phenotype persists, the dose will be reduced to 40 mg every 12 hours and continued until day 7 or ICU discharge, whichever occurs first. Treatment will be discontinued if patients transition to a hypoinflammatory phenotype on day 4.

DRUG

Methylprednisolone (MP)

Methylprednisolone 40 mg intravenously every 12 hours for the first 3 days. On day 4, prior to administration, patients will be reassessed; if the hyperinflammatory phenotype persists, the dose will be reduced to 20 mg every 12 hours and continued until day 7 or ICU discharge, whichever occurs first. Treatment will be discontinued if patients transition to a hypoinflammatory phenotype on day 4.

DRUG

Placebo

Normal saline (100 mL) will be administered intravenously every 12 hours for the first 3 days. On day 4, patients will be reassessed prior to dosing; if the hyperinflammatory phenotype persists, normal saline (100 mL) will continue to be administered every 12 hours until day 7 or ICU discharge, whichever occurs first. Treatment will be discontinued if patients transition to a hypoinflammatory phenotype on day 4.

Locations (1)

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.

Peking Union Medical College Hospital

Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China

How to Talk to Your Doctor About This Trial

Bring the printable summary of this trial — including the NCT ID (NCT07511582), the sponsor (Bin Du), 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 NCT07511582 clinical trial studying?

Who can participate in NCT07511582?

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 NCT07511582?

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 NCT07511582. Maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. Public domain. Cite as: "TrialFinderData. NCT07511582. 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 2026-06-07 · Data from ClinicalTrials.gov.