Idiopathic Peripheral NeuropathyPhase 3NCT01288937
A Placebo Controlled, Randomized, Double Blind Trial of Milnacipran for the Treatment of Idiopathic Neuropathy Pain
A Phase 3 study testing Milnacipran in people with Idiopathic Peripheral Neuropathy, run by Columbia University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This is an 11-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Milnacipran 100 mg/d in patients with idiopathic neuropathic pain. Milnacipran, a dual norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibitor has been a safe and beneficial treatment for patients with fibromyalgia and may be useful to treat patients… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 80 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Idiopathic Peripheral Neuropathy
- What is being tested?
- Milnacipran
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 6 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 5 Apr 2011to 23 Dec 2014
- Phase
- Phase 3
- 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 80 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Male and female patients age 18 to 80 years
- Patients with signs and symptoms of a peripheral neuropathy, with either abnormal nerve conductions or abnormal epidermal nerve fiber density with neuropathic pain.
- Pain will have been present for at least 6 months
- Patients may be on other medications for neuropathic pain (eg, antiepileptic medications, opiates or non steroidal antiinflammatories); however they must be on a stable dose for 4 weeks prior to, with no plan to change during the study
- All patients must have had a normal fasting glucose or B12, thyroid stimulating hormone, and serum protein electrophoresis, since the onset of their symptoms.
Who cannot join
- Other cause of neuropathy (eg, diabetic neuropathy, toxic neuropathy, HIV neuropathy, celiac neuropathy, inherited neuropathy)
- Unstable angina
- Use of another serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (eg, duloxetine, venlafaxine), tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI) or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
- Myocardial infarction stroke or life threatening arrhythmia within the last 6 months
- HIV infection
- Hepatic or renal failure
Show all 9Show fewer
- Pregnancy
- narrow angle glaucoma
- History of epilepsy or a seizure
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Columbia University Medical Center
New York, New York, 10032
About this study
This is an 11-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Milnacipran 100 mg/d in patients with idiopathic neuropathic pain. Milnacipran, a dual norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibitor has been a safe and beneficial treatment for patients with fibromyalgia and may be useful to treat patients with painful peripheral neuropathy.
The primary outcome will be assessed by the change in daily averaged weekly 0-10 pain intensity score, from baseline to week 9, by intention to treat analysis. The same analysis will be used on several secondary measures including daily averaged weekly 0-10 pain intensity score the sleep interference scale and the Rand-36 quality of life scale.
Read the detailed description
Milnacipran helps serotonin and noradrenaline work more effectively on the central nervous system. Serotonin and noradrenaline are molecules made by the brain that affect how your body responds to pain. Milnacipran, a dual norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibitor has been a safe and beneficial treatment for patients with fibromyalgia and may be useful to treat patients with painful peripheral neuropathy. Many clinical trials for neuropathy pain are done in patients with diabetic neuropathy. Idiopathic neuropathy however, is a common cause of neuropathy and accounts for 25% of all neuropathies, and over 50% of small fiber neuropathies. The information in this study will provide information on whether milnacipran also provide benefit as a medication for neuropathic pain.
- Conditions
- Idiopathic Peripheral Neuropathy
- Being tested
- Milnacipran, Placebo
- Keywords
- Milnacipran, Idiopathic Peripheral Neuropathy, Diabetic neuropathy, Neuropathic pain
- Medical subject headings
- Diabetic Neuropathies, Neuralgia
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
MilnacipranDrug
Also called Savella
Patients will be randomly assigned to receive milnacipran 100 mg/day (including a 1 week dose titration period):
Day 1: 12.5 mg once Day 2, 3: 25 mg/day (12.5 mg twice daily) Day 4, 7: 50 mg/day (25 mg twice daily) After Day 7: 100 mg/day (50 mg twice daily)
PlaceboDrug
Also called Placebo Pill
Patients will be randomly assigned to placebo for 9 weeks (including a 1 week dose titration period), matching the schedule of the study drug.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Milnacipran | Experimental | Patients will receive Milnacipran Receives: Drug: Milnacipran |
| Placebo | Placebo comparator | Patients will receive Placebo Receives: Drug: Placebo |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Likert Pain Scale Score
The Likert Pain Scale Score is a psychometric scale commonly involved in research that employs questionnaires to measure the intensity of pain. It is used to determine the level of pain for research participants. The minimum score of 0 indicates "no pain" which is the better score and the maximum and total score of 10 indicates the "the worst possible pain" which is the worse outcome . Scores 1-3= Mild, scores 4-6= Moderate, scores 7-10= Severe. It is the most widely used approach to scaling responses in survey research. Patients will fill out a pain diary from baseline to end of treatment. This will be used to assess if there was a reduction in pain of the daily averaged weekly 0-10 pain scale at week 9 compared to the baseline. The Unit of Measure is the scores on the scale.
Measured: Baseline, 9 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted3 Feb 2011 (estimated)
- Study start5 Apr 2011
- Primary completion22 Oct 2014
- Study completion23 Dec 2014
Why it stopped: Poor recruitment
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Other trials for Idiopathic Peripheral NeuropathyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Columbia UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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 3
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Quadruple blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 6 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Columbia University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Forest Laboratories
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Thomas Brannagan, Columbia University
- Investigators
- Thomas H Brannagan III, MD, Principal investigator, Columbia University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01288937
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- AAAF3404
- Status last verified
- Aug 2020
- First submitted
- 1 Feb 2011
- Last updated
- 3 Sep 2020
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- Yes
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 3 Sep 2020. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Placebo Controlled, Randomized, Double Blind Trial of Milnacipran for the Treatment of Idiopathic Neuropathy Pain
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01288937
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- AAAF3404
- Conditions
- Idiopathic Peripheral Neuropathy
- Keywords
- Milnacipran, Idiopathic Peripheral Neuropathy, Diabetic neuropathy, Neuropathic pain
- Phase
- Phase 3
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- TerminatedReason stopped: Poor recruitment
- Enrolment
- 6 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Columbia UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Forest Laboratories
- Study start
- 5 Apr 2011 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 22 Oct 2014 (actual)
- Study completion
- 23 Dec 2014 (actual)
- First posted
- 3 Feb 2011 (estimated)
- Results
- Posted 3 Sep 2020
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This is an 11-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Milnacipran 100 mg/d in patients with idiopathic neuropathic pain. Milnacipran, a dual norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibitor has been a safe and beneficial treatment for patients with fibromyalgia and may be useful to treat patients with painful peripheral neuropathy.
The primary outcome will be assessed by the change in daily averaged weekly 0-10 pain intensity score, from baseline to week 9, by intention to treat analysis. The same analysis will be used on several secondary measures including daily averaged weekly 0-10 pain intensity score the sleep interference scale and the Rand-36 quality of life scale.
Detailed description
Milnacipran helps serotonin and noradrenaline work more effectively on the central nervous system. Serotonin and noradrenaline are molecules made by the brain that affect how your body responds to pain. Milnacipran, a dual norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibitor has been a safe and beneficial treatment for patients with fibromyalgia and may be useful to treat patients with painful peripheral neuropathy. Many clinical trials for neuropathy pain are done in patients with diabetic neuropathy. Idiopathic neuropathy however, is a common cause of neuropathy and accounts for 25% of all neuropathies, and over 50% of small fiber neuropathies. The information in this study will provide information on whether milnacipran also provide benefit as a medication for neuropathic pain.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Quadruple blind (participant, care provider, investigator, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Milnacipran | Experimental | Drug: MilnacipranPatients will receive Milnacipran |
| Placebo | Placebo comparator | Drug: PlaceboPatients will receive Placebo |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 80 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Male and female patients age 18 to 80 years
- Patients with signs and symptoms of a peripheral neuropathy, with either abnormal nerve conductions or abnormal epidermal nerve fiber density with neuropathic pain.
- Pain will have been present for at least 6 months
- Patients may be on other medications for neuropathic pain (eg, antiepileptic medications, opiates or non steroidal antiinflammatories); however they must be on a stable dose for 4 weeks prior to, with no plan to change during the study
- All patients must have had a normal fasting glucose or B12, thyroid stimulating hormone, and serum protein electrophoresis, since the onset of their symptoms.
Key exclusion criteria (9 listed)
- Other cause of neuropathy (eg, diabetic neuropathy, toxic neuropathy, HIV neuropathy, celiac neuropathy, inherited neuropathy)
- Unstable angina
- Use of another serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (eg, duloxetine, venlafaxine), tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI) or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
- Myocardial infarction stroke or life threatening arrhythmia within the last 6 months
- HIV infection
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| MilnacipranAlso: SavellaPatients will be randomly assigned to receive milnacipran 100 mg/day (including a 1 week dose titration period): Day 1: 12.5 mg once Day 2, 3: 25 mg/day (12.5 mg twice daily) Day 4, 7: 50 mg/day (25 mg twice daily) After Day 7: 100 mg/day (50 mg twice daily) | Drug | Milnacipran |
| PlaceboAlso: Placebo PillPatients will be randomly assigned to placebo for 9 weeks (including a 1 week dose titration period), matching the schedule of the study drug. | Drug | Placebo |
Primary outcome
Likert Pain Scale Score
Time frame: Baseline, 9 weeks
The Likert Pain Scale Score is a psychometric scale commonly involved in research that employs questionnaires to measure the intensity of pain. It is used to determine the level of pain for research participants. The minimum score of 0 indicates "no pain" which is the better score and the maximum and total score of 10 indicates the "the worst possible pain" which is the worse outcome . Scores 1-3= Mild, scores 4-6= Moderate, scores 7-10= Severe. It is the most widely used approach to scaling responses in survey research. Patients will fill out a pain diary from baseline to end of treatment. This will be used to assess if there was a reduction in pain of the daily averaged weekly 0-10 pain scale at week 9 compared to the baseline. The Unit of Measure is the scores on the scale.
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 3 Sep 2020.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Thomas H Brannagan III, MD principal investigator
Columbia University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A Phase 3 study testing Milnacipran in people with Idiopathic Peripheral Neuropathy, run by Columbia University 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 5 inclusion and 9 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 3 Sep 2020. 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 3 studies compare the treatment with the current standard treatment or a placebo in a large group, to confirm how well it works and watch for side effects.
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 3 Sep 2020). 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?
Likert Pain Scale Score (time frame: Baseline, 9 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 3 Sep 2020; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 7 Nov 2026.