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Amyotrophic Lateral SclerosisPhase 1/2NCT00107770

Safety Study of Oral Sodium Phenylbutyrate in Subjects With ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)

A Phase 1/2 study testing sodium phenylbutyrate in people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, run by US Department of Veterans Affairs at 10 sites in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the safety of sodium phenylbutyrate (NaPB) treatment in subjects with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the ability to take this medication without major side effects. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
What is being tested?
sodium phenylbutyrate
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
40 participants
Where
10 sitesUnited States
Study dates
Apr 2005to Sep 2007
Phase
Phase 1/2
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Diagnosed with ALS
  • At least 18 years of age
  • Women, who can become pregnant, must actively use effective birth control measures

Who cannot join

  • Must not have any other neurological (nervous system) disease
  • Veterans only are eligible to participate at VA sites.

Trial locations and contacts

10 sites in 1 country.

10 sites in 1 country

United States10 sites
  • VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore

    Baltimore, Maryland, 21201

  • Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, Bedford

    Bedford, Massachusetts, 01730

  • VA Medical Center, Jamaica Plain Campus

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02130

  • VA Medical Center, Cincinnati

    Cincinnati, Ohio, 45220

  • VA Medical Center, Durham

    Durham, North Carolina, 27705

  • Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (152)

    Houston, Texas, 77030

  • VA Medical Center, Iowa City

    Iowa City, Iowa, 52246-2208

  • VA Medical Center, Lexington

    Lexington, Kentucky, 40502

  • VA Pittsburgh Health Care System

    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15240

  • VA Medical Center, Syracuse

    Syracuse, New York, 13210

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Safety and Dose Escalating Study of Oral Sodium Phenylbutyrate in Subjects With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the safety of sodium phenylbutyrate (NaPB) treatment in subjects with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the ability to take this medication without major side effects.

Read the detailed description

Although it is known that nerve cells die in the brains and spinal cords of patients who have ALS, the cause of the cell death is unknown. There is evidence that this cell death may be caused by changes in DNA, the body's genetic material. Drugs such as sodium phenylbutyrate (NaPB) can increase the expression of genes, block how the motor nerve cells in ALS die, and may prove to be an effective therapy for ALS. NaPB has shown an improvement in survival in mice with conditions similar to ALS.

STUDY DESIGN:

All research participants will take sodium phenylbutyrate for a total of 20 weeks. The dose of medication will be increased every 2 to 4 weeks until a maximum, easily tolerated dose is achieved (study maximum is 21 g/day).

Being tested
sodium phenylbutyrate
Keywords
ALS, histone deacetylase inhibition, open label, safety study, sodium phenylbutyrate
Medical subject headings
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • sodium phenylbutyrateDrug

    histone deacteylase inhibitor

Study groups in NCT00107770
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
1OtherALS patient
Receives: Drug: sodium phenylbutyrate

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. safety and tolerability

    Measured: 20 weeks

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. The number of side effects at each dosage, including abnormalities in vital signs, physical examination, blood tests and EKGs, change in vital capacity (breathing function) and ALS functional rating scale

  2. Relationship between blood levels and sodium phenylbutyrate dosage

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted8 Apr 2005 (estimated)
  2. Study startApr 2005
  3. Primary completionNov 2006
  4. Study completionSep 2007

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 1/2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
40 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00107770
Sponsor's protocol ID
0015
Status last verified
Oct 2008
First submitted
7 Apr 2005
Last updated
11 Jan 2010
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1/2 study testing sodium phenylbutyrate in people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, run by US Department of Veterans Affairs at 10 sites in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 11 Jan 2010. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 10 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this combined phase mean?

Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

safety and tolerability (time frame: 20 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 11 Jan 2010.

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