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Small-Fiber NeuropathyNCT00787462

Evaluation of Pregabalin in Idiopathic Small Fiber Neuropathy

A study testing Pregabalin in people with Small-Fiber Neuropathy, run by University of Alberta at 1 site in Canada.

Terminated

Stopped early. The study ended before it was planned to and will not resume.

Official record
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Trial summary

Idiopathic Small Fiber Neuropathy (called SFN for short), is a condition where nerves that sense pain have become damaged, and often painful. SFN pain is common, and it can affect sleep, memory, health and overall quality of life. Pregabalin is a drug commonly used to treat painful conditions, like nerve pain. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Small-Fiber Neuropathy
What is being tested?
Pregabalin
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
3 participants
Where
1 siteCanada
Study dates
Feb 2008to Feb 2013
Phase
Interventional
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
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • A diagnosis of idiopathic SFN (based on clinical and electrodiagnostic criteria).
  • Each day for 7 days prior to Visit 2 (Washout) they must complete a modified Quadruple Visual Analogue Scale₁ showing moderate to severe pain (i.e. a daily mean rating score of ≥ 4).
  • As the safety of pregabalin in pregnancy has not been established, females of childbearing potential must have a negative βHCG serum and agree to practice acceptable birth control methods.
  • All subjects must have screening laboratory values that are within normal limits or abnormal values that are deemed not clinically significant by the Principle Investigator.

Who cannot join

  • Have a psychological or psychiatric condition that may hinder their ability to provide important information
  • History of psychosis, drug or alcohol abuse history within the last year
  • Malignancy within the last 2 years (except skin cancer)
  • Clinically significant conditions (including but not limited to cardiovascular or hepatic diseases), and seizure disorders.
  • Subjects with an abnormal 2-hour glucose tolerance test (i.e., glucose >7.8 mmol/l) will be excluded under "clinically significant conditions" as stated above.
  • May not have participated in a previous trial of pregabalin, have a history of intolerance or hypersensitivity to pregabalin.
  • Patients with renal impairment (CrCl < 60 ml/min) will be excluded.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Canada1 site
  • University of Alberta Hospital

    Edmonton, Alberta, T6G-2B7

Other trials in Canada

About this study

Idiopathic Small Fiber Neuropathy (called SFN for short), is a condition where nerves that sense pain have become damaged, and often painful. SFN pain is common, and it can affect sleep, memory, health and overall quality of life.

Pregabalin is a drug commonly used to treat painful conditions, like nerve pain. It has been available to doctors for many years, and many studies have been performed to evaluate its effectiveness. In these studies, pregabalin has been shown to be very effective in the treatment of nerve pain, with fewer side effects than many other medications currently available. The purpose of the study is to determine if pregabalin relieves pain more effectively than a pill containing no medication (called a placebo). The study will also investigate any side effects as well as the effectiveness and safety of the medication.

Read the detailed description

Painful small fiber sensory neuropathy (SFN) is relatively common and a disabling medical condition. It is the most common type of painful sensory neuropathy in patients older than 50 years of age. It is defined as a neuropathy that exclusively or predominantly affects the A-δ (small myelinated) and nociceptive C (unmyelinated) nerve fibers and their functions. The neuropathic pain associated with SFN is described by the patients as burning ("feet are on fire"), sharp ("knife-like, jabbing or pins and needles"), shooting, and aching pain in the toes and feet. The feet are described as tingling, numb, or feeling tight, wooden or dead. The pain is disabling and often exacerbated at night interfering and disrupting the sleep pattern. Allodynia and cramps may also occur. Some patients also describe pressure induced pain in their feet with standing and walking. The autonomic nerves may be involved leading to increased or decreased sweating, facial flushing, skin discoloration and erectile dysfunction in up to 40% of males. On examination there is a dramatic mismatch between the symptoms and observable deficits in SFN. Only abnormal findings are the loss of pinprick and temperature sensations in feet that may extend up to the knees. Touch sensation may be diminished but other sensations are usually preserved. By definition, patients with SFN are allowed to have minor involvement of large fibers distally with reduced vibration in toes but the ankle reflexes are usually preserved.

This study will be of a crossover design thus minimizing the number of subjects needed. Each patient will act as his/her own control. Previous studies of pregabalin have shown that the desired effect is achieved by eight weeks of treatment. Therefore each patient will start on either placebo or pregabalin. They will be assessed on this treatment arm for eight weeks. There will be a two-week drug tapering and washout period before switching treatments, followed by re-assessment for an additional eight weeks. This design minimizes the amount of time that the patient will be treated with placebo.

Being tested
Pregabalin, Placebo
Keywords
Neuropathic, Neuropathic pain, Nerve pain, Pain, Chronic pain, Pregabalin, Lyrica, Small fiber neuropathy, Neuropathy
Medical subject headings
Small Fiber Neuropathy, Neuralgia, Pain, Chronic Pain

What participants receive

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

  • PregabalinDrug

    Also called Lyrica

    Available as 75 mg capsules. Subjects will begin Phase 1 treatment on either pregabalin (or placebo) 75mg BID (1 capsule BID) for one week then increasing to 150mg BID or placebo (2 capsules BID) for a further 7 weeks. During this period patients will be allowed to taper the drug to 225mg a day (75mg in am, 150mg in pm) or (75mg BID) if they develop significant adverse effects on the higher dose. After 8 weeks Phase 1 treatment subjects will taper study medication to 75mg BID or placebo (1 capsule BID) for 7 days and then continue taking placebo (1 capsule) for 7 additional days prior to the crossover. After the taper and washout, Phase 2 will begin using the alternate treatment and will follow the same dosing regime as Phase 1 for the remaining 10 weeks.

  • PlaceboDrug

    Also called Visually Identical Placebo

    Available as 75 mg capsules. Subjects will begin Phase 1 treatment on either pregabalin (or placebo) 75mg BID (1 capsule BID) for one week then increasing to 150mg BID or placebo (2 capsules BID) for a further 7 weeks. During this period patients will be allowed to taper the drug to 225mg a day (75mg in am, 150mg in pm) or (75mg BID) if they develop significant adverse effects on the higher dose. After 8 weeks Phase 1 treatment subjects will taper study medication to 75mg BID or placebo (1 capsule BID) for 7 days and then continue taking placebo (1 capsule) for 7 additional days prior to the crossover. After the taper and washout, Phase 2 will begin using the alternate treatment and will follow the same dosing regime as Phase 1 for the remaining 10 weeks.

Study groups in NCT00787462
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
ActiveActive comparatorAvailable as 75 mg capsules. Subjects will begin Phase 1 treatment on either pregabalin (or placebo) 75mg BID (1 capsule BID) for one week then increasing to 150mg BID or placebo (2 capsules BID) for a further 7 weeks. During this period patients will be allowed to taper the drug to 225mg a day (75mg in am, 150mg in pm) or (75mg BID) if they develop significant adverse effects on the higher dose. After 8 weeks Phase 1 treatment subjects will taper study medication to 75mg BID or placebo (1 capsule BID) for 7 days and then continue taking placebo (1 capsule) for 7 additional days prior to the crossover. After the taper and washout, Phase 2 will begin using the alternate treatment and will follow the same dosing regime as Phase 1 for the remaining 10 weeks.
Receives: Drug: Pregabalin
PlaceboPlacebo comparatorAvailable as 75 mg capsules. Subjects will begin Phase 1 treatment on either pregabalin (or placebo) 75mg BID (1 capsule BID) for one week then increasing to 150mg BID or placebo (2 capsules BID) for a further 7 weeks. During this period patients will be allowed to taper the drug to 225mg a day (75mg in am, 150mg in pm) or (75mg BID) if they develop significant adverse effects on the higher dose. After 8 weeks Phase 1 treatment subjects will taper study medication to 75mg BID or placebo (1 capsule BID) for 7 days and then continue taking placebo (1 capsule) for 7 additional days prior to the crossover. After the taper and washout, Phase 2 will begin using the alternate treatment and will follow the same dosing regime as Phase 1 for the remaining 10 weeks.
Receives: Drug: Placebo

What is being measured

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

  1. Neuropathic pain score

    Measured difference in the mean neuropathic pain score recorded in daily pain assessment scores between the pregabalin treatment phase (escalating twice daily dose of 75mg, 150mg) versus placebo treatment phase.

    Measured: 21 weeks

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Quality of life measures

    Measure differences in the mean scores of other quality of life measures between the pregabalin treatment phase (escalating twice daily dose of 75mg, 150mg) versus placebo treatment phase.

    Measured: 21

Timeline

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

  1. First posted7 Nov 2008 (estimated)
  2. Study startFeb 2008
  3. Primary completionFeb 2013
  4. Study completionFeb 2013

Why it stopped: Restrictive inclusion criteria/limited pool of suitable subjects with SFN.

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 N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Crossover
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator
Enrolment
3 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00787462
Sponsor's protocol ID
ZAS-2007-HC-01
Status last verified
Sep 2010
First submitted
6 Nov 2008
Last updated
28 Aug 2017
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
Individual data sharing
No: Data will not be shared due to insufficient recruitment.

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Pregabalin in people with Small-Fiber Neuropathy, run by University of Alberta at 1 site in Canada.

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 7 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: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 28 Aug 2017. 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 Canada. 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.

Are results available for this study?

The study was stopped early (reason given: Restrictive inclusion criteria/limited pool of suitable subjects with SFN.). Results are not available in the source record.

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?

Neuropathic pain score (time frame: 21 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 28 Aug 2017.

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