SABR-PSC Clinical Trial Results
SABR-PSC: New trial results for brodalumab in primary sclerosing cholangitis
Chief Investigator: Dr Amera Elzubeir
What is the SABR-PSC study?
SABR-PSC was a small scale, early-phase pilot (first step) study, undertaken to find out if a medication called brodalumab, which blocks a specific chemical messenger called IL-17 in the immune system to reduce inflammation, was safe, acceptable and practical to give to people with PSC. Dr Elzubeir also looked for early signs that it might help liver health.
What was the goal of SABR-PSC?
The main goal was to test safety, not to prove the drug works as a cure yet. Dr Amera Elzubeir wanted to see if brodalumab, which is already used to treat the skin condition psoriasis, could safely reduce inflammation and scarring in the liver without causing problems in the bowel.
Who took part in the SABR-PSC trial?
The study included a small group of patients with large duct PSC. Most participants were men in their 30s or 40s, and half of them also had ulcerative colitis. It was important that their bowel disease was ‘quiet’ (not in a flare-up) before they started.
How was brodalumab taken?
Participants received brodalumab as an injection under the skin. They had eight injections over 13 weeks: one every week for the first three weeks, and then one every other week. They were then followed for a total of six months.
What were the results of the SABR-PSC trial?
- Safety: Brodalumab appeared to be safe and well tolerated by participants for the full 13 weeks of treatment. Reported side-effects were mostly mild, such as tiredness or sore throat. There were no new liver safety worries during the study.
- Liver Health: Most participants showed either stable results or improvements in liver blood tests and/or non-invasive tests (for example Fibroscan, which measures liver stiffness), used to assess inflammation and scarring in the liver.
- Bowel Health: A major concern with this type of drug is whether it could cause a flare-up of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The study found no new cases of IBD and no flare-ups in patients who already had it.
What are the next steps for this research?
Because this small study showed the drug is safe, the researchers believe it is worth doing a larger trial. This next phase would likely include more patients (over 100) from different hospitals and might test a higher dose of the medicine to see if it can produce even better results for the liver.
Turning Ambition into Action in 2026:
Our Fortnight in Focus
At PSC Support, we want a world without PSC. We work tirelessly behind the scenes to drive research and improve lives. Here is a snapshot of what we've been up to:
Building Partnerships: We contributed a comprehensive chapter to a new medical textbook for nurses and allied health professionals, ensuring that the patient perspective is integrated into clinical education.
Building Partnerships: We participated in a planning meeting for the update of national clinical guidelines for PSC.
Building Partnerships: We prepared strategic questions for an upcoming international forum titled “Putting Patients First: From Research to Treatment.”
Organisational Excellence: We updated our web details to make it less likely information from us sent by email ends up in your spam folders.
Progressing Research: We are collaborating with European partners to develop a simplified research registry for pregnancy outcomes, building the evidence base needed to improve medical guidance for women with PSC.
Progressing Research: We completed a formal submission to the Scottish Medicines Consortium to advocate for the value of a potential new treatment for PSC patients.
Progressing Research: We reviewed the participant information for a new academic clinical trial to ensure it is clear and accessible for patients.