Verapamil as Therapy for Children and Young Adults With Dravet Syndrome

Dravet Syndrome Clinical Trial

Official title:

Verapamil as Adjunctive Seizure Therapy for Children and Young Adults With Dravet Syndrome

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT01607073
• Other study ID #: IND 113666
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2
• Start date: April 2012
• Est. completion date: January 2015

Study information

• Verified date: March 2021
• Source: Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This study will assess how well the drug verapamil can improve control of seizures and dysautonomia symptoms in children and young adults diagnosed with Dravet syndrome. The safety of verapamil when given with all concomitant medications will also be assessed.

Description:

Dravet syndrome (DS) is a devastating form of pediatric seizure disorder (epilepsy), often related to abnormalities of one of the genes that controls sodium channel function in the brain (SCN1A). Most children with DS experience continued seizures even with optimal treatment of currently available anti-seizure therapies [1]. Many of these seizures are prolonged, and can be life threatening.

This pilot study will assess the efficacy of verapamil in improving control of seizures in children and young adults DS. This will be done by adding verapamil as open label adjunctive therapy to medications already being given. Investigators will assess the effect of verapamil therapy on seizure control and on signs of autonomic dysfunction observable to the parents/guardians. Signs of autonomic function include body temperature regulation, sweating, heart rate, pupil size, and flushing of the skin. Iannetti, et al reported treating 2 children with clinical DS (one with an SCN1A mutation) with verapamil as adjunctive therapy [2]. Both children had a positive clinical response persisting for a number of months. No adverse effects were noted. We have treated an additional 4 children with DS with verapamil. There have been no significant adverse effects; 3 of 4 have experienced improved seizure control for months also.

Verapamil has been shown to affect autonomic tone in patients with cardiac disorders (eg. high blood pressure, heart attack). It alters the balance between parts of the autonomic nervous system's function (called sympathetic and parasympathetic function) with a shift toward decreased sympathetic tone and increased parasympathetic (vagus nerve) tone [8, 9, 10]. Verapamil is used as an effective agent to treat certain types of autonomic headaches in both adults and children. In cluster headaches, autonomic symptoms (tearing, nasal congestion, facial sweating, papillary constriction) are prominent; verapamil is an accepted treatment [11, 12].

Intense emotion triggers seizures in a subset of children with DS. Modulation of autonomic function is likely an integral part of seizure threshold in those so affected. Children with DS have a higher rate of signs of abnormal autonomic function than do controls [13]. Cardiac autonomic control is also altered in these children, with a shift in the balance between sympathetic (relatively overactive) and parasympathetic (relatively less active) tone [14]. Similar findings have been identified in adults with intractable epilepsy and children with partial epilepsy [15, 16, 17]. Verapamil's action in stabilizing the balance of sympathetic and parasympathetic tone may play a role altering autonomic tone abnormalities in children with DS as well. This may be a part of the mechanism that leads to improved seizure control.

Verapamil has been in clinical use for ~ 25 years. The FDA has granted an Investigational New Drug approval for use of this medication in this population of children and young adults. Investigators propose to add it to the patient's existing medications, and evaluate potential improvement in seizure control. Potential side effects will be screened. Investigators will monitor liver function with blood tests as well as concentrations of anti-seizure medications. Verapamil and nor-verapamil levels will be assessed twice also. Testing of heart rhythm (EKG) will be done before the study starts and twice more during the study.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 2
• Est. completion date: January 2015
• Est. primary completion date: January 2015
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 2 Years to 25 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• 2 to 25 years old

• Onset of seizures in first year of life

• seizure type usually generalized tonic-clonic, clonic, or hemiclonic, often prolonged (>10 minutes)

• myoclonic jerks/myoclonic seizures

• history of normal development at seizure onset with subsequent developmental delay or regression which occurs after seizure onset

• presence of documented abnormality on the SCN1A gene

• medically intractable epilepsy: must have been on at least 2 prior antiepileptic medications without adequate control of epilepsy

• subject is capable of giving informed consent (or assent if possible) or has an acceptable surrogate capable of giving informed consent on the subject's behalf

Exclusion Criteria:

• use of clonidine, propranolol, carbamazepine, oxcarbazine, stiripentol, lamotrigine, or cyclosporine

• Abnormalities of cardiac conduction or rhythm (excluding sinus arrhythmia) on screening EKG

• significant use of grapefruit juice

• ketogenic diet

• pregnancy

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Dravet Syndrome
• Epilepsies, Myoclonic
• Syndrome

Intervention

Drug:
• Verapamil
Verapamil will be prepared as a solution. A 50mg/ml oral suspension may be made with immediate release tablets and either a 1:1 mixture of Ora-Sweet and Ora-Plus or a 1:1 mixture of Ora-Sweet SF and Ora-Plus will be used. Children will start on a 4 weeks titration period: Week 1: 1mg/kg/day divided BID Week 2: 2mg/kg/day divided BID or TID Week 3: 3mg/kg/day divided BID or TID Week 4: 4mg/kg/day divided TID In event of adverse events, and in consultation with the family and treating physician, the dosage may be decreased to 2mg/kg/day and remain at that dose for the remainder of the study.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Children's Memorial Hospital	Chicago	Illinois
United States	Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital	Lebanon	New Hampshire
United States	Mayo Clinic	Rochester	Minnesota
United States	Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare	Saint Paul	Minnesota

Sponsors (4)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare	Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Mayo Clinic

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (36)

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* Note: There are 36 references in all — Click here to view all references

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Change in Number of General Tonic-clonic Seizures From Week 8 (Baseline) Visit to Week 12 Visit	The primary study endpoint is the change in number of seizures from baseline. Since we only had one participant finish the study, the endpoint was changed to Week 12 visit. Participants were on verapamil for 4 weeks at Week 12.	Week 8 (baseline) to Week 12
Secondary	Change in Number of Myoclonic Seizures From Week 8 (Baseline) to Week 12	The secondary outcome is the change in number of myoclonic seizures between baseline Week 8 visit and Week 12 visit.	Week 8 (baseline) to Week 12
Secondary	Change in Number of Absence Seizures From Week 8 (Baseline) to Week 12	The secondary outcome measure is the change in number of absence seizures from Week 8 (Baseline) to Week 12	Week 8 to Week 12