Viewing Study NCT00425815



Ignite Creation Date: 2024-05-05 @ 5:16 PM
Last Modification Date: 2024-10-26 @ 9:30 AM
Study NCT ID: NCT00425815
Status: WITHDRAWN
Last Update Posted: 2016-02-09
First Post: 2007-01-22

Brief Title: Org 24448 Ampakine for Cognitive Deficits in Schizophrenia
Sponsor: University of California Los Angeles
Organization: University of California Los Angeles

Study Overview

Official Title: A Placebo-Controlled Trial of Org 24448 Ampakine Added to Atypical Antipsychotics in Patients With Schizophrenia
Status: WITHDRAWN
Status Verified Date: 2016-02
Last Known Status: None
Delayed Posting: No
If Stopped, Why?: Study terminated at Sponsors request
Has Expanded Access: False
If Expanded Access, NCT#: N/A
Has Expanded Access, NCT# Status: N/A
Acronym: None
Brief Summary: The TURNS is a National Institute of Mental Health NIMH funded contract for the evaluation of new compounds for the treatment of cognitive impairments in schizophrenia HHSN 27820044 1003C PI Steve Marder MD Despite advances in the safety tolerability and effectiveness of antipsychotic medications for the treatment of schizophrenia many patients continue to be plagued by impairments in social and work functioning Persons with schizophrenia commonly show deficits in a number of areas of cognition that include impairments in attention memory and executive functioning the ability and organize ones behavior Importantly a large body of literature now shows a link between cognition and community functioning in schizophrenia It is believed that treatments that improve cognitive deficits may lead to improvements in work and social functioning

A promising approach to improve the community functioning of patients with schizophrenia is to develop new agents that treat the cognitive deficits of the illness One type of pharmacological compound that has shown promise at improving cognition is a group of drugs called ampakines These drugs are believed to improve the activity of a neurotransmitter system in the brain called the glutamate system Increased activity of this system has been linked to improvements in cognitive functioning The current study is an eight-week trial comparing two doses of the ampakine drug Org 24448 that will be added to patients current atypical antipsychotic medication One hundred thirty-five patients with schizophrenia drawn from seven sites will participate in the study Cognition will be measured using a variety of paper-and-pencil and computerized measures from the consensus-derived NIMH Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia MATRICS cognitive battery Psychiatric symptoms and the ability to perform community-based tasks of daily living will also be measured Because previous trials with this drug and other similar drugs have detected lasting cognitive benefits this trial will also repeat clinical assessments four weeks after completion of the study medication
Detailed Description: This study is an eight-week randomized placebo-controlled parallel group fixed dose trial comparing two doses of the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid AMPA receptor positive modulator Org 24448 added to a stable dose of atypical antipsychotic medication in 135 patients with schizophrenia studied at seven sites The primary endpoint for this trial is a composite score derived from the MATRICS cognitive battery Measures of psychiatric symptoms and functioning are secondary endpoints Because previous trials in animals and humans with this and other AMPA modulators detected persistence of cognitive benefits this trial will also repeat clinical assessments at follow-up four weeks after completion of the study medication

Primary Objective

1 Compare the effects of an eight-week trial of Org 24448 250 mg BID 500 mg BID and placebo upon cognitive function as assessed by the MATRICS cognitive battery

Secondary Objectives
2 Compare the effects of an eight-week trial of Org 24448 250 mg BID 500 mg BID and placebo upon level of functioning as measured by the SCoRS and UPSA
3 Compare effects of Org 24448 250 mg BID 500 mg BID and placebo on overall symptoms measured by the BPRS total psychotic symptoms measured by the BPRS positive symptom items and negative symptoms measured by the SANS total
4 Evaluate tolerability of Org 24448 250 mg BID and 500 mg BID compared to placebo measured by the Side Effect Checklist AIMS SAS study completion rates and frequency of abnormal laboratory values

Tertiary Objective
5 Evaluate persistence of effects on clinical ratings 4 weeks after completion of the 8-week trial

Methods

Study Locations This study will be coordinated by the study PI Dr Goff and the TURNS Treatment Management Unit under the direction of Dr Buchanan Patients will be recruited from the Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts Mental Health Center in Boston Dr Goff the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Dr Seidman the Nathan Kline Institute Drs Javitt and Nolan Washington University Medical Center Drs Csernansky and Barch the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center Drs Buchanan and Gold Duke School of Medicine Drs McEvoy and Keefe the University of California at Los Angeles Drs Marder and Green and Columbia University Drs Lieberman and Kimhy The TURNS is a NIMH-funded contract for the evaluation of new compounds for the treatment of cognitive impairments in schizophrenia HHSN 27820044 1003C PI Steve Marder MD Data management will be performed by the Clinical Trials Data Management Unit of the Nathan Kline Institute under the direction of Jim Robinson MS and statistical analysis will be performed by Dr Robert McMahon of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center Org 24448 and matching placebo capsules will be provided by Organon Pharmaceuticals Laboratory assays will be performed by Quest Diagnostics

Subjects Subjects will include 135 inpatients or outpatients with schizophrenia treated for at least 8 weeks with a stable dose of an atypical antipsychotic other than clozapine Prior to enrollment it will be determined that the clinician has optimized the dose of the antipsychotic and maintained the medication at a constant dose for at least 4 weeks Diagnoses will be confirmed using the SCID Patients will be excluded for significant medical illness seizure disorder substance abuse or inability to provide informed consent Because our primary hypothesis is that Org 24448 will improve measures of attention and memory patients must be capable of completing the neuropsychological battery but no minimum threshold of cognitive impairment is required for inclusion

Screening The diagnosis of schizophrenia will be confirmed by a research psychiatrist using a modified version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM IV SCID The BPRS SANS CDRS and SAS will be administered to verify that inclusionary criteria are met A physical examination including neurological exam will be performed and medical history vital signs weight heart rate oral temperature sitting and standing blood pressure and demographic information will be obtained Laboratory assessments will include standard screening blood tests electrolytes creatinine blood urea nitrogen BUN fasting glucose liver enzymes T4 calcium phosphate magnesium albumin and complete blood count CBC with differential and platelet count A pregnancy test will be done in all premenopausal women A routine urinalysis drug screen EKG and EEG with hyperventilation and photic stimulation will also be performed The screening visits will collect all data required to complete inclusionary and exclusionary criteria except for performance on the MATRICS battery and WTAR which will be administered as a baseline measurement at week 1 of the stabilization phase to minimize practice effects In addition subjects must continue to meet inclusionary and exclusionary criteria on baseline symptom ratings which will be performed at the completion of the stabilization phase stabilization week 2

Stabilization Phase After informed consent is obtained and screening completed subjects will enter a two-week single-blind placebo lead-in stabilization phase Placebo will be administered as two capsules twice daily dispensed in blister packs identical to those that will be used during the randomized double-blind treatment phase Baseline assessments will be completed during the stabilization phase and compliance with study medication will be assessed Plasma will be obtained for assay of antipsychotic concentrations at week 2 of the stabilization phase The plasma sample will be drawn as a trough level This phase is intended to reduce placebo-response during the double-blind treatment phase allow completion of baseline assessments and provide an opportunity for investigators to identify and resolve potential problems with compliance

The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery MCCB the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading WTAR the Schizophrenia Cognitive Rating Scale SCoRS and the University of California San Diego UCSD Performance-Based Skills Assessment UPSA will be completed at stabilization week 1 the clinical scales described under Assessments will be completed at stabilization week 2

Double-Blind Phase Patients will be randomized in a 111 ratio to placebo Org 24448 250 mg BID or Org 24448 500 mg BID administered in identical-appearing capsules for eight weeks Study drug will be dispensed weekly in blister packs containing placebo or Org 24448 250 mg capsules after completing the stabilization phase stabilization week 2 and baseline assessments Subjects will be given three extra days of medication in case of a missed appointment All subjects will take two capsules twice daily The antipsychotic dose will be unchanged during the trial Patients will be asked to bring their previous blister pack to each visit a count of remaining capsules will be performed and recorded Patients will return for follow-up at week 12 four weeks after completing the double-blind trial Investigators may reduce the morning AM dose of study drug by one capsule 250 mg if necessary due to poor tolerance Subjects may continue at the reduced dose or after one week the investigator may attempt to resume the full dose two capsules BID If the reduced dose three capsules daily is not tolerated subjects will be discontinued from the study Patients who miss 7 consecutive days of study drug or who are found to have taken 75 or fewer study doses at two or more pill counts will be dropped from study

Assessments The following scales will be completed at stabilization week 2 baseline and at weeks 2 4 6 8 12 and will comprise the clinical assessment battery Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale BPRS Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms SANS Calgary Depression Rating Scale CDRS and Clinical Global Impression CGI In addition the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale AIMS and the Simpson Angus Scale for Extrapyramidal Symptoms SAS will be performed at baseline and weeks 4 8 12 Assessment of functioning will be performed at baseline weeks 4 8 or end of study using the Schizophrenia Cognitive Rating Scale SCoRS and UCSD Performance-based Skills Assessment UPSA The SCoRS will be repeated at week 12 Cognitive functioning will be assessed at baseline week 4 and week 8 or end of study using the MATRICS battery plus the NAB Daily Living Memory and a Delayed Recall Trial of the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test A one-week window up to 3 days before or 4 days after the scheduled visit will be allowed for the completion of assessments to accommodate unusual or unavoidable circumstances only All sites will be certified in the administration of the MATRICS SCoRS and UPSA assessments prior to initiation of study Inter-rater reliability will be established for the BPRS and SANS before the start of the study and will be reassessed every three months by the circulation of videotaped interviews

Safety Assessments Vital signs and the Side Effects Checklist will be performed and adverse events recorded weekly during the two-week stabilization phase and the 8 week trial and weekly for 4 weeks following completion of the trial Laboratory assessments including urinalysis will be repeated at weeks 4 6 and 8 or end of study An EKG will be repeated at weeks 2 4 and 8 A white blood count WBC and absolute neutrophil count ANC will be repeated weekly during the 8 week trial and weekly for 4 weeks following completion of the trial A physical examination including neurological examination will be repeated at week 8 or end of studyDrug Plasma Concentrations Plasma will be obtained at baseline and weeks 4 and 8 for assay of antipsychotic concentrations Plasma samples will be drawn as trough levels

Study Oversight

Has Oversight DMC: None
Is a FDA Regulated Drug?: None
Is a FDA Regulated Device?: None
Is an Unapproved Device?: None
Is a PPSD?: None
Is a US Export?: None
Is an FDA AA801 Violation?: None