Study of Sildenafil to Treat Newborns With Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension

Respiratory Failure Clinical Trial

Official title:

Phase II Trial of Sildenafil in Newborns With Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Terminated

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT01409031
• Other study ID #: 10-1211
• Secondary ID: 1U01HL102235
• Status: Terminated
• Phase: Phase 2
• Start date: July 2011
• Est. completion date: October 2013

Study information

• Verified date: January 2019
• Source: University of Colorado, Denver
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether intravenous sildenafil reduces pulmonary artery pressure and improves oxygenation in near-term and term infants with persistent pulmonary hypertension.

Description:

Term infants with respiratory failure and persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) are among the most critically ill infants in the NICU, with significant mortality and morbidity reported even for infants with moderate disease. Currently, management is largely supportive, and includes oxygen, mechanical ventilation (conventional or high frequency ventilation), and exogenous surfactant therapy. Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is a pulmonary vasodilator that was approved for the treatment of hypoxic respiratory failure (HRF) and PPHN of the newborn in 1999 based on clinical trials showing a reduction in the need for rescue treatment with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

One promising therapy to decrease pulmonary arterial pressure and improve oxygenation is sildenafil. Sildenafil is a cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor that causes relatively selective pulmonary vasodilation. The use of intravenous (IV) sildenafil was recently FDA approved for use in adults in PPHN. A pilot trial studying dose response and pharmacokinetics in 36 term newborns with PPHN found that IV sildenafil was well tolerated and has the potential to induce marked improvements in oxygenation. The data from this pilot trial provided background to support the dosing regimen for this Phase II trial. We hypothesize that IV sildenafil will acutely reduce pulmonary artery pressure and improve oxygenation in near-term and term infants with PPHN, thus reducing the need for rescue therapy iNO and/or ECMO.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Terminated
• Enrollment: 3
• Est. completion date: October 2013
• Est. primary completion date: October 2013
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: N/A to 72 Hours

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Signed informed consent from legally acceptable guardian

• PPHN or hypoxemic respiratory failure associated with:

• Idiopathic PPHN

• Meconium aspiration syndrome

• Respiratory distress syndrome

• Sepsis

• Pneumonia

• Greater than or equal to 35 weeks gestation

• Age at enrollment less than 72 hours

• Moderate hypoxemic respiratory failure, with 12<OI<35 (oxygenation index, calculated as FiO2 * mean airway pressure * 100 / postductal PaO2)

• Absence of structural heart disease (except patent ductus arteriosus, atrial septal defect <1cm, or muscular ventricular septal defect < 2mm)

• Absence of lethal congenital anomaly

• Not participating in another concurrent experimental study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Prior or immediate need for iNO or ECMO

• Profound hypoxemia: qualifying PaO2 <30 mmHg, from a blood gas drawn within 30 minutes of starting study drug infusion.

• Hypotension: Mean arterial pressure <35 mmHg

• Congenital heart disease, except patent ductus arteriosus, atrial septal defect <1cm, or muscular ventricular septal defect <2mm

• Congenital diaphragmatic hernia or lung hypoplasia syndromes, diagnosed on the basis of prolonged oligohydramnios

• Active seizures

• Apgar score of <3 at 5 minutes

• Bleeding diathesis

• Receipt of any other experimental drug or device

• Receipt of any prohibited concurrent medication:

• Potent cytochrome P450 3A4 inhibitors (e.g., erythromycin, ketoconazole, itraconazole and protease inhibitors)

• Endothelin antagonists (e.g. Tracleer/bosentan)

• Intravenous nitrates or nitric oxide donors

• Known hereditary degenerative retinal disorders such as retinitis pigmentosa.

• In the opinion of the investigator, a subject who is not likely to complete the study or would be considered inappropriate for the study, for any reason.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Hypertension
• Hypertension, Pulmonary
• Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension
• Respiratory Failure
• Respiratory Insufficiency

Intervention

Drug:
• Intravenous Sildenafil
0.4 mg/kg bolus, followed by a continuous infusion of 1.6 mg/kg/day or an equivalent volume of placebo (D5W); infusion will be initiated as a bolus over 3 hours, followed by a controlled continuous infusion for up to 7 days.

Other:
• Placebo
An equivalent volume of placebo (D5W)infusion will be initiated as a bolus over 3 hours, followed by a controlled continuous infusion for up to 7 days.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	University of Colorado Health Sciences Center	Aurora	Colorado
United States	Women's & Children's Hospital of Buffalo SUNY	Buffalo	New York
United States	Anne and Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago	Chicago	Illinois
United States	Northwestern Memorial Hospital	Chicago	Illinois
United States	Vanderbilt University	Nashville	Tennessee
United States	Primary Children's Medical Center, Utah	Salt Lake City	Utah
United States	University of Utah	Salt Lake City	Utah

Sponsors (7)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of Colorado, Denver	Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), State University of New York at Buffalo, University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of Utah, Vanderbilt University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Improvement in Oxygenation		From baseline values at 4 and 24 hours
Primary	Receipt of Standard Therapy at Any Point During the 7-day Treatment Period	Receipt of standard therapy (inhaled nitric oxide [iNO] and/or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation [ECMO]) at any point during the 7-day treatment period	7-day treatment period
Secondary	Change in Pulmonary Arterial Pressure	Change in pulmonary arterial pressure as calculated by echocardiography	Baseline and 4 hours post study drug administration
Secondary	Duration of Supplemental O2		Participants will be on supplemental O2 an average of 2 weeks
Secondary	Age at Hospital Discharge		Participants will be followed for the duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 3 weeks
Secondary	Duration of Mechanical Ventilation		Participants will be on mechanical ventilation an average of 1 week