NCT01429181

Efficacy & Safety Study of Nonracemic Methadone for the Relief of Chronic Peripheral Neuropathic Pain

Pilot Study to Evaluate Efficacy, Tolerability and Safety Nonracemic Methadone HCl in Patients With Chronic Peripheral Neuropathic Pain: Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study Followed by Open-Label, Single-Arm Extension

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 37 (actual)
• Sponsor: MetaPharm, Inc. · Industry
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

There is a growing evidence that the d-isomer of methadone is effective in treating neuropathic pain while the l-isomer of methadone is the only effective isomer of methadone for treating somatic pain. This study will examine a combination of different amounts of the d- and l-isomers of methadone specifically tailored to the chronic peripheral neuropathic pain. Non-racemic mixture of methadone isomers will be tested in this pilot efficacy and safety study. This study will evaluate effect of the three doses of the non-racemic mixture of methadone hydrochloride patients with chronic peripheral neuropathic pain compared with a placebo. The study will also examine the minimally effective and maximally tolerated doses of the non-racemic mixture of methadone. Finally, the safety and tolerability of the non-racemic methadone therapy will be evaluated.

Detailed description

Objectives: * To evaluate effect of the three doses of the non-racemic methadone HCl on the metrics of pain intensity in comparison to placebo. * To determine minimally effective and maximally tolerated doses of non-racemic methadone HCl for the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain. * To evaluate safety and tolerability of non-racemic methadone HCl therapy. Study Design: This is a pilot efficacy and safety study comprised of two parts. Part I is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of three daily doses (15 mg, 30 mg and 40 mg) of non-racemic methadone compared with placebo. Two lower doses (15 mg and 30 mg) will be administered for 1 week. The final dose (40 mg) will be administered for 2 weeks. After receiving three consecutive doses of the assigned drug the subjects will be switched to another regimen. Two 28-day treatment periods will be separated by a 14-day washout (drug-free) interval. Subjects will be randomly assigned to one of the two treatment sequences: Sequence 1: non-racemic methadone HCl (Period 1) followed by Placebo (Period 2); Sequence 2: Placebo (Period 1) followed by non-racemic methadone HCl (Period 2). Subjects completing Part I will be enrolled into the open-label, single-arm extension. Subjects discontinuing the study while on placebo may also be eligible for the enrollment. During the 6-week extension phase (Part II of the study) subjects will be treated with non-racemic methadone HCl with continuous dose titration driven by the clinical response (degree of pain relief) and reported adverse events. The Parts I and II will be separated by a 14-day washout (study drug-free) interval. Number of Patients: Up to fifty (50) subjects diagnosed with neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy will be enrolled in the study; approximately 30 subjects are expected to complete Study Part I. Enrollment will be terminated when this completion target is achieved. Study Duration: The duration of Study Part I is approximately 12 weeks, the duration of Study Part II is approximately 6 weeks. A total study duration (including screening and final evaluations) is expected to be approximately 20 weeks.

Conditions

• Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathic Pain

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Non-racemic mixture of methadone HCl	Non-racemic mixture of methadone HCl capsules, 5 mg

Timeline

• Start date: 2012-01-01
• Primary completion: 2014-09-01
• Completion: 2014-12-01
• First posted: 2011-09-05
• Last updated: 2017-03-30