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Spinal Cord InjuryPhase 2NCT00750061

Efficacy and Safety of Lithium Carbonate in the Treatment of Chronic Spinal Cord Injuries

A Phase 2 study testing Lithium Carbonate in people with Spinal Cord Injury, run by China Spinal Cord Injury Network at 2 sites in 2 countries.

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

This is a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial. Forty patients will be randomized into two groups. The subjects in the Treatment Group will be administered with lithium carbonate, while the Control Group will receive placebo. Each subject will receive oral lithium carbonate or placebo for six weeks. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 60 years
Conditions the study is for
Spinal Cord Injury
What is being tested?
Lithium Carbonate
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
40 participants
Where
2 sitesin 2 countries
Study dates
Aug 2008to Dec 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 18 to 60 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Subjects of either gender and 18-60 years of age;
  • Subjects with chromic spinal cord injury (defined as a history of spinal cord injury for 12 months or longer);
  • Subjects with ASIA - classification of A, B, or C for at least 6 months unchanged;
  • Spinal cord injury vertebral level should be between C4 and T10;
  • Subjects must be able to read, understand, and complete the VAS;
  • Subjects who have voluntarily signed and dated an informed consent form, approved by an IRB/IEC, prior to any study specific procedures.

Who cannot join

  • A history of hypersensitivity or other adverse reaction to lithium;
  • Significant renal, cardiovascular, hepatic and psychiatric disease;
  • Significant medical diseases or infection;
  • Addison's disease;
  • Debilitation or dehydration;
  • Recently taken or are taking diuretics or other drugs with known interaction with lithium, such as tricyclic antidepressants, NSAIDs and tetracyclines;
Show all 12Show fewer
  • A history of alcohol abuse or drug abuse;
  • Pregnant or lactating women;
  • Female of childbearing potential and are unwilling to use an effective contraceptive method while enrolled in the study;
  • Subjects who are currently participating in another investigational study or has been taking any investigational drug within the last 4 weeks prior to screening of this study;
  • Subjects who have taken lithium for manic depression or other psychiatric conditions,and finally;
  • Any criteria, which, in the opinion of the investigator, suggests that the subject would not be compliant with the study protocol.

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 2 countries.

2 sites in 2 countries

China1 site
  • China Rehabilitation and Research Center

    Beijing

Other trials in China

Taiwan1 site
  • Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Taichung Branch

    Taichung

Other trials in Taiwan

About this study

Official title: Efficacy and Safety pf Lithium Carbonate in the Treatment of Chronic Spinal Cord Injuries: a Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

This is a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial. Forty patients will be randomized into two groups. The subjects in the Treatment Group will be administered with lithium carbonate, while the Control Group will receive placebo.

Each subject will receive oral lithium carbonate or placebo for six weeks. In the treatment group, the dose will be adjusted according to the serum lithium level while in the control group there will be a sham adjustment.

The outcomes will be assessed 6 weeks and 6 months after the onset of the medication. The outcomes will be compared with baseline pre-treatment data to obtain "neurological change scores." The efficacy and safety will be analyzed comparing the results of the treatment group with those of the control group.

Being tested
Lithium Carbonate, Placebo
Keywords
Spinal Cord Injury
Medical subject headings
Spinal Cord Injuries

What participants receive

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

  • Lithium CarbonateDrug

    The subject start at a dosage regime of three times a day and one tablet of lithium carbonate, 250mg/table, oral administration each time for three days. The daily dose will be adjusted according to the serum lithium level and the clinical findings. Target serum lithium level is 0.6-1.2mM.

    The course of medication is 6 weeks.

  • PlaceboDrug

    Matching placebo

Study groups in NCT00750061
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
PlaceboPlacebo comparatorPlacebo tablet
Receives: Drug: Placebo
Lithium carbonateExperimentalLithium Carbonate tablet, 250mg
Receives: Drug: Lithium Carbonate

What is being measured

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

  1. Changes of Neurological Scores for Baseline

    Changes of Motor Scores (0 ~ 100), Pin Prick Scores (0 ~ 112) and Light Touch Scores (0 ~ 112) from Baseline to Week 6 and Month 6. The higher the changes the better the functional improvement.

    Measured: 6 months

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Changes in Functional Independence Measure (FIM) Motor Subscale and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for Pain

    Changes from Baseline to Week 6 and Month 6 in Functional Independence Measure (FIM) motor subscale (0 ~ 91, the higher the better), Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain (0 ~ 100, the less the better)

    Measured: 6 months

Timeline

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

  1. First posted10 Sep 2008 (estimated)
  2. Study startAug 2008
  3. Primary completionMay 2010
  4. Study completionDec 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
Parallel groups
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
40 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00750061
Sponsor's protocol ID
CN102A
Status last verified
Apr 2015
First submitted
30 Aug 2008
Last updated
4 May 2015
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Yang ML, Li JJ, So KF, Chen JY, Cheng WS, Wu J, Wang ZM, Gao F, Young W. Efficacy and safety of lithium carbonate treatment of chronic spinal cord injuries: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Spinal Cord. 2012 Feb;50(2):141-6. doi: 10.1038/sc.2011.126. Epub 2011 Nov 22.

    PubMed 22105463

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Lithium Carbonate in people with Spinal Cord Injury, run by China Spinal Cord Injury Network at 2 sites in 2 countries.

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 6 inclusion and 12 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 4 May 2015. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in China, Taiwan. 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 4 May 2015). 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?

Changes of Neurological Scores for Baseline (time frame: 6 months). 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 NCT00750061, which also lists 1 linked publication.

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 4 May 2015.

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