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Crohn's DiseasePhase 2LDN-PedNCT00715117

The Efficacy of Low Dose Naltrexone Therapy in Children With Crohn's Disease

A Phase 2 study testing Naltrexone in people with Crohn's Disease, run by Milton S. Hershey Medical Center at 1 site 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

It is hypothesized that oral naltrexone will improve inflammation of the bowel by increasing endogenous enkephalin levels in subjects with active Crohn's disease. This is especially important in children who often are suffering from nutritional deprivation which retards their growth. The key objectives are to: 1. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 6 to 17 years
Conditions the study is for
Crohn's Disease
What is being tested?
Naltrexone
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
14 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Jul 2008to Aug 2010
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

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 6 to 17 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child

Who may be able to join

  • All subjects must give written informed consent by parent or guardian
  • Male or female subjects, > 6 - 17 years
  • Patients must have endoscopic or radiographic confirmed Crohn's Disease.
  • Patients must have a Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index (PCDAI) of at least 31.

Who cannot join

  • Adolescent women of childbearing potential and / or sexually active unless surgically sterile or using adequate contraception (either IUD, oral or deport contraceptive, or barrier plus spermicide), and willing and able to continue contraception for 3 months after the completion of the study.
  • Adolescent women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Subjects with an ostomy or ileocolic anastomosis from surgery as these operations interfere with the PCDAI assessment
  • Subjects taking tacrolimus, cyclosporin, mycophenolate, or anti-TNF-α therapy must be discontinued 4 weeks prior to study initiation.
  • Patients with abnormal liver function tests
  • Prednisone greater than 10 mg or > 0.2 mg/kg orally

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site

  • Penn State University hershey Medical center

    Hershey, Pennsylvania, 17033

Other trials in United States

About this study

It is hypothesized that oral naltrexone will improve inflammation of the bowel by increasing endogenous enkephalin levels in subjects with active Crohn's disease. This is especially important in children who often are suffering from nutritional deprivation which retards their growth.

The key objectives are to:

  1. Evaluate the effects of low dose naltrexone in children with Crohn's Disease by using the Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index (PCDAI), plasma inflammatory markers, weight, and pediatric quality of life survey.
  2. To determine the safety and toxicity of low dose naltrexone in pediatric subjects with active Crohn's Disease.
  3. Assess the potential mechanism by which naltrexone exerts its action by measuring plasma opioid (enkephalin and endorphin levels) and proinflammatory cytokines.
Read the detailed description

The present proposal is designed as double-blinded placebo controlled study involving 30 children between 6-17 years of age with active Crohn's disease. Children will be treated with either naltrexone or placebo for the first 8 weeks then all subjects will receive active naltrexone drug the last 8 weeks. A one month follow-up appointment will be scheduled 4-weeks after completion of the active drug for safety and to assess Crohn's activity. Low dose naltrexone (LDN) will be dispensed in either capsules at a dose of 4.5 mg for those ages 10 years or older and in liquid form at 0.1 mg/kg for those under age of 10 or less than 45 kg. Half of the subjects in the first 8 weeks will be randomized to placebo which will be either capsules filled with avicel (see section 6.0) or diluent (flavored water) if in liquid form. Children are eligible who are not of child-bearing potential or are using two means of effective birth control, have a Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index (PCDAI) of at least 31 points, and have the confirmed diagnosis of Crohn's disease by either endoscopic or radiographic tests.

Conditions
Crohn's Disease
Being tested
Naltrexone, Placebo, sugar pill
Keywords
children, pediatric, Crohn's Disease, naltrexone, LDN, IBD, Inflammatory bowel disease
Medical subject headings
Crohn Disease, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

What participants receive

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

  • NaltrexoneDrug

    Also called Revia, Vivitrol

    Naltrexone 0.1 mg/kg (not to exceed 4.5mg) once a day orally for 16 weeks

  • Placebo, sugar pillOther

    Also called sugar pill

    Placebo -Sugar pill or liquid identical to active drug in appearance and taste given by mouth at bedtime once daily

Study groups in NCT00715117
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Sugar pillPlacebo comparatorSubjects will receive placebo for for the first 8 weeks administered orally one time daily. After 8 weeks placebo treated subjects are then crossed over to active drug naltrexone 0.1 mg/kg not to exceed 4.5 mg PO once daily for an additional 8 weeks.
Receives: Other: Placebo, sugar pill
NaltrexoneExperimentalNaltrexone 0.1 mg/kg (not to exceed 4.5mg) once a day orally either in capsules or liquid blinded for 8 weeks followed by open-labeled naltrexone for an additional 8 weeks. Safety and toxicity will be compared to placebo. Also change in Crohn's activity index scores of naltrexone to placebo are compared.
Receives: Drug: Naltrexone

What is being measured

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

  1. Number of Patients Reporting Side Effects

    Using adverse events and laboratory values Safety \& toxicity were evaluated between those on placebo for 8 weeks and those on naltrexone for either 8 or 16 weeks.

    Measured: 8 weeks or 16 weeks

Secondary outcomes (2)

  1. Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index Score (PCDAI)

    Secondary outcome was efficacy on clinical activity. Mean pretreatment PCDAI scores in patients had moderate to severe disease activity at baseline were compared between those who received placebo for 8 weeks and those who received active experimental drug, naltrexone.

    The PCDAI score is a number unit that is calculated from symptoms scores by the subject over a 7-day period prior to the visit, laboratory values, height \& weight, and physical exam findings. A score of 10 and under denotes "remission". Mild disease (score of 11-30); moderate disease (score of 31-45), a severe disease (scores greater than 45. A decline of 10 points or more is considered "response to therapy". The score can range from 0 to >60 Patient must have a PCDAI score of equal or greater than 30 to qualify for this study (i.e., moderate to severe disease).

    Measured: Pretreatment and 8 weeks

  2. Change in Quality of Life Scores From Baseline to After 8 Weeks of Naltrexone Therapy

    IMPACT III was a pediatric Crohn's specific quality of life survey used in this study. It examines five major categories influencing the quality of life in children with Crohn's disease including bowel symptoms, systemic symptoms, emotional well-being, social well-being, and body image perception. The IMPACT-III uses 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5 for all answers. The outcome score ranges from 35 to 175, with higher scores suggesting better quality of life. So an increase in score denotes improved Quality of life.

    Measured: 16 weeks

Timeline

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

  1. First posted15 Jul 2008 (estimated)
  2. Study startJul 2008
  3. Primary completionMay 2010
  4. Study completionAug 2010

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 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Crossover
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
14 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00715117
Sponsor's protocol ID
PSU-IRB-27793
Acronym
LDN-Ped
Status last verified
May 2013
First submitted
14 Jul 2008
Last updated
6 Sep 2018
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Smith JP, Stock H, Bingaman S, Mauger D, Rogosnitzky M, Zagon IS. Low-dose naltrexone therapy improves active Crohn's disease. Am J Gastroenterol. 2007 Apr;102(4):820-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1572-0241.2007.01045.x. Epub 2007 Jan 11.

    PubMed 17222320

  • Smith JP, Bingaman SI, Ruggiero F, Mauger DT, Mukherjee A, McGovern CO, Zagon IS. Therapy with the opioid antagonist naltrexone promotes mucosal healing in active Crohn's disease: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Dig Dis Sci. 2011 Jul;56(7):2088-97. doi: 10.1007/s10620-011-1653-7. Epub 2011 Mar 8.

    PubMed 21380937

  • Smith JP, Field D, Bingaman SI, Evans R, Mauger DT. Safety and tolerability of low-dose naltrexone therapy in children with moderate to severe Crohn's disease: a pilot study. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2013 Apr;47(4):339-45. doi: 10.1097/MCG.0b013e3182702f2b.

    PubMed 23188075

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Naltrexone in people with Crohn's Disease, run by Milton S. Hershey Medical Center at 1 site 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 4 inclusion and 6 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 6 Sep 2018. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site 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. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

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?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 30 May 2013). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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?

Number of Patients Reporting Side Effects (time frame: 8 weeks or 16 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00715117, which also lists 3 linked publications.

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 6 Sep 2018.

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