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Gangliosidoses, GM2Phase 1/2NCT01102686

Pyrimethamine as a Treatment for Late-Onset GM2-gangliosidosis (Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff Disease)

A Phase 1/2 study testing Pyrimethamine and Leucovorin in people with Gangliosidoses, GM2 and Sandhoff Disease, run by The Hospital for Sick Children at 1 site in Canada.

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 objectives of this clinical trial are to assess the safety and tolerability, as well as efficacy, of a stepwise dosing regimen of pyrimethamine, starting at 25 mg/day, given as a single dose daily for 4 weeks in patients affected with chronic Tay-Sachs or Sandhoff variants. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 17 years and older
What is being tested?
Pyrimethamine and Leucovorin
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
20 participants
Where
1 siteCanada
Study dates
Aug 2009to Nov 2010
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 17 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • biochemically and genetically confirmed diagnosis of GM2-gangliosidosis caused by β-hexosaminidase deficiency resulting from mutations in the HEXA or HEXB genes;
  • having HEXA or HEXB mutations shown to be responsive to pyrimethamine in vitro;
  • over 17 years of age at the time of study initiation;
  • able to understand and cooperate with the requirements of the study protocol;
  • mentally competent, have the ability to understand and willingness to sign the informed consent form;
  • able to travel to one of the three participating study sites;
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  • women of child-bearing potential must use accepted contraceptive methods and must have a negative serum or urine pregnancy test within one week prior to treatment initiation;
  • fertile men must practice effective contraceptive methods during the study period, unless documentation of infertility exists;
  • laboratory values ≤2 weeks prior to randomization must show adequate hematologic, hepatic, renal, and coagulation function; and body weight >40 kg.

Who cannot join

  • serious medical illness, significant cardiac disease or severe debilitating pulmonary disease;
  • any hematologic abnormality, especially megaloblastic anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, pancytopenia;
  • any active uncontrolled bleeding or any bleeding diathesis (e.g., active peptic ulcer disease);
  • possible folate deficiency, and those receiving therapy (such as phenytoin) affecting folate levels;
  • any complex disease that may confound treatment assessment;
  • pregnant women or women of child-bearing potential not using reliable means of contraception;
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  • lactating females;
  • fertile men unwilling to practice contraceptive methods during the study period;
  • unwilling or unable to follow protocol requirements;
  • known hypersensitivity reactions, intolerance or adverse reactions to pyrimethamine;
  • evidence of active infection, or serious infection within the past month;
  • HIV infection;
  • a history of cancer of any type;
  • receiving any other standard or investigational treatment for any indication within the past 4 weeks prior to initiation of pyrimethamine treatment;
  • receiving immunotherapy of any type within the past 4 weeks prior to initiation of pyrimethamine treatment; or any condition or abnormality, which may, in the opinion of the investigator, compromise the safety of patients.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Canada1 site
  • The Hospital for Sick Children

    Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8

Other trials in Canada

About this study

Official title: Proposed Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trial of Pyrimethamine as a Treatment for Late-Onset GM2-gangliosidosis (Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff Disease)

The objectives of this clinical trial are to assess the safety and tolerability, as well as efficacy, of a stepwise dosing regimen of pyrimethamine, starting at 25 mg/day, given as a single dose daily for 4 weeks in patients affected with chronic Tay-Sachs or Sandhoff variants.

Read the detailed description

Patients with late-onset Tay-Sachs or Sandhoff disease will be given increasing doses of Pyr, up to but not exceeding doses used to treat malaria, over a 5-month period. We will follow the effect of the treatment on the levels of Hex A enzyme activity in white blood cells, which are considered to be a reflection of the likely enzyme activity in the brain. We will also follow some other lysosomal enzyme activities to determine if the effect is specific for Hex A. Furthermore, we will examine the effect of the treatment on the levels of GM2-ganglioside in the white blood cells. On the basis of the studies done on cultured skin cells, we expect that treatment with Pyr will increase the levels of Hex A and decrease the accumulation of GM2-ganglioside in the white blood cells.

Being tested
Pyrimethamine, Leucovorin
Keywords
Late-onset GM2-gangliosidosis, pyrimethamine
Medical subject headings
Gangliosidoses, GM2, Sandhoff Disease, Tay-Sachs Disease

What participants receive

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

  • PyrimethamineDrug

    Pyrimethamine will be taken orally as a single daily dose of 25 mg/day for 4 weeks, then increasing by 25 mg per dose in three four-week steps, to a final dose of 100 mg/day

  • LeucovorinDrug

    To eliminate or minimize potential hematologic effects of Pyrimethamine, Leucovorin is to be co-administered with Pyrimethamine at a dose level of 5 mg per day, given when Pyrimethamine is administered.

Study groups in NCT01102686
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
PyrimethamineExperimentalNot described
Receives: Drug: Pyrimethamine; Drug: Leucovorin

What is being measured

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

  1. Efficacy of pyrimethamine

    Changes in Hex A and Hex B, β-glucuronidase using blood assays

    Measured: Baseline, before exposure to pyrimethamine, and Weeks 4, 8, 12, 16 and 18.

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Pyrimethamine Blood levels

    Measured: Weekly (1-18 weeks)

  2. Pyrimethamine efficacy

    Measurement of GM2 in blood samples

    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 posted13 Apr 2010 (estimated)
  2. Study startAug 2009
  3. Primary completionNov 2010
  4. Study completionNov 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 1/2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
20 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01102686
Sponsor's protocol ID
1000013660
Status last verified
Feb 2012
First submitted
16 Oct 2009
Last updated
23 Feb 2012
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1/2 study testing Pyrimethamine and Leucovorin in people with Gangliosidoses, GM2 and Sandhoff Disease, run by The Hospital for Sick Children 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 9 inclusion and 15 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 23 Feb 2012. 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. 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?

Efficacy of pyrimethamine (time frame: Baseline, before exposure to pyrimethamine, and Weeks 4, 8, 12, 16 and 18.). 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 23 Feb 2012.

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