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Congestive Heart FailurePhase 2GHRHNCT00791843

The Effect of GHRH Therapy on Myocardial Structure and Function in Congestive Heart Failure

A Phase 2 study of Congestive Heart Failure, run by University of Pennsylvania 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

PP1- The purpose of this study is to determine whether giving more of the hormone produced by everyone called growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) can improve heart function in individuals with congestive heart failure. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 50 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Congestive Heart Failure
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
3 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Mar 2004to Aug 2011
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 50 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • subjects will be at least 50 years of age,
  • women who are post-menopausal.
  • clinical evidence of congestive heart failure, with ongoing management by conventional medical therapy
  • a left ventricular ejection fraction below 40% as measured by echocardiogram performed within 6 months of study enrollment.
  • Left ventricular end-diastolic dimension greater than 60 mm as measured by an echocardiogram performed within 6 months of study enrollment.
  • regular heart rate/pacer
  • hemodynamically stable and able to complete symptom-limited bicycle ergometry exercise test;
  • and be in New York Heart Association Classification II or III.

Who cannot join

  • Subjects with hematocrit equal to or less than 33%;
  • body mass index equal to or greater than 40;
  • unstable angina within six months;
  • inducible ischemia by exercise stress testing, radionuclide scintigraphy, or dobutamine echocardiography;
  • known or suspected myocarditis;
  • known or suspected restrictive or infiltrative cardiomyopathy;
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  • coronary artery stenosis >70% and < 100% by catheterization should such data be available;
  • inadequate cardiac echo window;
  • primary diastolic dysfunction in heart failure
  • inability to perform cycle ergometry;
  • critical aortic stenosis;
  • severe mitral regurgitation by Doppler echocardiography;
  • uncontrolled or poorly controlled hypertension;
  • hypertrophic cardiomyopathy;
  • renal failure, determined by creatinine > 2.0.
  • untreated thyroid disease;
  • active alcoholism,
  • breast cancer;
  • prostate cancer;
  • inability to provide informed consent;
  • uncontrolled hyperlipidemia; (Triglycerides >1200 and/or LDL > 160)
  • patients with known bleeding disorders;
  • patients using atropine, artane, scopolamine, and cogentin.
  • Subjects who have implanted devices that contain metal and are not adherent to the body will be excluded from the MRI testing in this study. These devices include pacemakers, implanted ICD's, infusion pumps, nerve stimulators, metal debris in the eye, or loose metal, such as shrapnel or a bullet.
  • Inability to lie flat on back for an extended period of time. The MRI testing requires this posture.
  • History of any noncutaneous malignancy within 5 years of screening.
  • STUDY TERMINATION CRITERIA:
  • The following clinical events will define drop-points for worsening clinical conditions and will terminate subject involvement in the study:
  • Unstable angina
  • Acute myocardial infarction (chest pain with EKG changes and increased troponin)
  • NYHA Class IV heart failure for greater than one week (a brief episode of NYHA Class IV heart failure may result from medical or dietary indiscretion, adverse effects of non-study medications, poorly controlled hypertension and other potentially reversible mechanisms)
  • Documented sustained ventricular tachycardia
  • Resuscitated cardiac arrest
  • Unexplained syncope
  • Diagnosis of sleep apnea that is not medically supervised.
  • Symptomatic documented bradycardia
  • Diagnosis of a new non-cutaneous malignancy
  • Developing exclusion criteria
  • Stroke
  • Death

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Massachusetts General Hospital/ Geriatric Research

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02114

Other trials in United States

About this study

PP1- The purpose of this study is to determine whether giving more of the hormone produced by everyone called growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) can improve heart function in individuals with congestive heart failure. You must be 50 years old or older, have a diagnosis of congestive heart failure, and have a high likelihood of having lower than normal growth hormone effect. GHRH is approved by the US FDA for treatment in children with growth hormone deficiency because GHRH stimulates Growth Hormone (GH). Its use for treatment of congestive heart failure in adults is investigational.

Growth hormone releasing hormone is a hormone produced in the brain. We will be using synthetic hormone made in the laboratory. It is identical to the hormone in the brain.

Many older people, due to aging have low levels of growth hormone. The aim of this study is to find out whether restoring growth hormone levels to the levels found in younger individuals and then maintaining those levels for 12 weeks will help strengthen heard muscles in older persons with congestive heart failure.

Read the detailed description

PP1- The overall purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone (GHRH) on cardiac structure and function in subjects aged 50 years and older with a diagnosis of congestive heart failure in a single blinded (to the subject) randomized treatment/placebo study design. They will receive 12 weeks of drug or placebo, 6 weeks of washout, and 12 weeks of placebo or drug- whichever they didn't receive in the first 12 weeks. The hypotheses are: 1)normal aging is associated with evidence of declining somatotrophic activity exemplified by IGF-1 levels; 2) GHRH can raise levels of Growth hormone and IGF-1 in elderly individuals in a dose dependent fashion with minimal deleterious side effects; 3) GHRH will produce measurable increments in myocardial performance and structure and demonstrated growth of peripheral musculature; 4) the combination of these benefits will result in better quality of life due to the improvement of overall cardiac function.

Being tested
Growth hormone releasing hormone/ placebo
Keywords
CHF
Medical subject headings
Heart Failure

What participants receive

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

  • Growth hormone releasing hormone/ placeboDrug

    12 weeks of drug at max dose of 2mg/day administered in 4 pulses at 11pm, 1am, 3am, and 5am, followed by 6 weeks of washout period, then 12 weeks of placebo or vise versa- 12 weeks of placebo, 6 weeks washout, 12 weeks of drug.

Study groups in NCT00791843
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
GHRH and placeboExperimentalEveryone will receive 12 weeks of GHRH and 12 weeks of Placebo
Receives: Drug: Growth hormone releasing hormone/ placebo

What is being measured

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

  1. PP1- Serum IGF-1 Levels, DXA, Resting Metabolic Rate, Total Body Water, 3-D Echo, Cardiac MRI, Dobutamine Stress Echocardiogram, Ergometry, General Health Assessment, Physical Exam

    Measured: baseline, 12, 18, and 30 weeks

Timeline

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

  1. First posted17 Nov 2008 (estimated)
  2. Study startMar 2004
  3. Primary completionAug 2011
  4. Study completionAug 2011

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
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
3 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00791843
Sponsor's protocol ID
Grant AG00599
Other IDs
PP1:MGH 2004p-000099
Acronym
GHRH
Status last verified
Jun 2019
First submitted
13 Nov 2008
Last updated
9 Jul 2019
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study of Congestive Heart Failure, run by University of Pennsylvania 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 8 inclusion and 40 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 9 Jul 2019. 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. 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 9 Jul 2019). 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?

PP1- Serum IGF-1 Levels, DXA, Resting Metabolic Rate, Total Body Water, 3-D Echo, Cardiac MRI, Dobutamine Stress Echocardiogram, Ergometry, General Health Assessment, Physical Exam (time frame: baseline, 12, 18, and 30 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 9 Jul 2019.

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