A Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Benfotiamine in Patients With Early Alzheimer's Disease (BenfoTeam)

Alzheimer Disease Clinical Trial

Official title:

A Seamless Phase 2A-Phase 2B Randomized Double-Blind Placebo- Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Benfotiamine in Patients With Early Alzheimer's Disease (BenfoTeam)

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT06223360
• Other study ID #: ADC-061-BENFO
• Secondary ID: 1R01AG076634-01
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 2
• Start date: March 22, 2024
• Est. completion date: February 1, 2027

Study information

• Verified date: April 2024
• Source: Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS)
• Contact: ADCS Recruitment Team
• Phone: 877-807-1290
• Email: adcs-recruitment[@]health.ucsd.edu
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to learn more about the safety, effectiveness and tolerability of the study drug called Benfotiamine which may delay or slow the progression of the symptoms of early Alzheimer's disease.

Description:

This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled 18-month clinical trial of benfotiamine in early AD. This trial will include a seamless phase 2A-2B design with a randomized total sample of 406 participants. Participants who are randomized but drop out prior to study drug exposure will be replaced.

Phase 2A of the trial will randomize approximately 150 participants total, in a 1:1:1 to treatment with 1200 mg/day benfotiamine, 600 mg/day benfotiamine or placebo. The primary objective of phase 2A is to determine the highest safe and well tolerated dose of benfotiamine (600 mg or 1200 mg), as evaluated by the rate of tolerability events (TEs), for advancement to long-term 72 week exposure. The highest tolerated dose of benfotiamine will be carried forward from phase 2A to phase 2B.

At the start of phase 2B, all participants enrolled in the two phase 2A active dose arms will receive a new supply of benfotiamine at the selected phase 2B dose. All phase 2A participants will be included in the phase 2 intent-to-treat efficacy population, as assigned to active or placebo treatment. The primary objective of phase 2B is to assess efficacy of benfotiamine on global function and cognition over 72 weeks. In phase 2B, a composite cognitive and functional measure as well as PD biomarkers will be used to evaluate efficacy during the extended treatment period. Phase 2B will also evaluate longer-term safety and tolerability of benfotiamine treatment over 72 weeks.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 406
• Est. completion date: February 1, 2027
• Est. primary completion date: February 1, 2027
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 50 Years to 89 Years

Eligibility

Key Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 50 to 89 (inclusive) at screening

• Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) due to AD or Mild dementia due to AD according to workgroups of the Diagnostic Guidelines of the National Institute on Aging and Alzheimer's Association (NIA-AA)

• Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score 20-30 inclusive at screening-. Montreal Cognitive Assessment score (MoCA) < 26 at screening

• Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) global score of 0.5 or 1 with memory score of greater or equal to 0.5 at screening

• Positive plasma AD biomarker signature

• Participants who are treated with FDA-approved acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AchEI)and/or memantine will have to be on a stable dosage regimen for at least 3 months prior to screening.

• Participants must have a study partner who has frequent interaction with them (approximately >3-4 times per week), will be available for all clinic visits in person or remotely, and can assist in compliance with study procedures.

• Female participants must be post-menopausal for at least one year or surgically sterile(bilateral tubal ligation, hysterectomy, or bilateral oophorectomy) for at least 6 months prior to screening.

• Fluent in English or Spanish to ensure compliance with cognitive testing and study visit procedures.

• Ambulatory, or able to walk with an assistive device.

• Provision of informed consent from the participant (or the participant's legally authorized representative (LAR) if unable to provide consent) and the study partner.

Key Exclusion Criteria:

• Significant neurological disorder other than AD (e.g. hypoxia, stroke, traumatic brain injury

• Significant neurodegenerative diseases, other than AD, and causes of dementias, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease, vascular dementia, CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease), LBD (Lewy Body dementia), PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy), AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome), or NPH (normal pressure hydrocephalus).

• Meeting Diagnostic Criteria for Possible AD according to workgroups of the Diagnostic Guidelines of the NIA-AA.

• A current diagnosis of uncontrolled Type I or Type II diabetes mellitus, as defined by Hemoglobin A1C (Hb A1C = 8).

• A current active, uncontrolled seizure disorder.

• Diagnosis of cancer, except for those participants who have undergone potentially curative therapy with no evidence of recurrence for > 5 years.

• History of alcoholism or substance abuse, current or within past 5 years.

• Previous exposure to Benfotiamine within past 3 months.

• Contraindication to MRI.

• Participation in another clinical trial for an investigational agent and having taken at least one dose of study drug, unless confirmed as having been on placebo, within 4 weeks prior to the baseline visit. The end of a previous investigational trial is defined as the date of the last dose of an investigational agent.

• Initiation of a monoclonal antibody treatment targeting brain amyloid within 6 months prior to the baseline visit.

• A disability that may prevent the patient from completing all study requirements e.g.,blindness, deafness, severe language difficulty).

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Alzheimer Disease

Intervention

Drug:
• Low Dose Benfotiamine
300mg benfotiamine capsules (BID, twice a day)
• High Dose Benfotiamine
600mg benfotiamine capsules (BID, twice a day)
• Placebo
Placebo capsules to mimic benfotiamine capsules (BID, twice a day)

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Albany Medical College	Albany	New York
United States	Dent Neurologic Institute	Amherst	New York
United States	University of Michigan, Ann Arbor	Ann Arbor	Michigan
United States	Integrative Clinical Trials	Brooklyn	New York
United States	Ohio State University	Columbus	Ohio
United States	Brain Matters Research	Delray Beach	Florida
United States	Neuropsychiatric Research Center of Southwest Florida	Fort Myers	Florida
United States	University of North Texas Health Science Center	Fort Worth	Texas
United States	University of Iowa	Iowa City	Iowa
United States	University of Kentucky	Lexington	Kentucky
United States	Rhode Island Hospital	Providence	Rhode Island
United States	Syrentis Clinical Research	Santa Ana	California
United States	Southern Illinois University	Springfield	Illinois
United States	Brain Matters Research (Kane Center)	Stuart	Florida
United States	SUNY Upstate Medical University	Syracuse	New York

Sponsors (3)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS)	Burke Medical Research Institute, National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (30)

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Hammes HP, Du X, Edelstein D, Taguchi T, Matsumura T, Ju Q, Lin J, Bierhaus A, Nawroth P, Hannak D, Neumaier M, Bergfeld R, Giardino I, Brownlee M. Benfotiamine blocks three major pathways of hyperglycemic damage and prevents experimental diabetic retinopathy. Nat Med. 2003 Mar;9(3):294-9. doi: 10.1038/nm834. Epub 2003 Feb 18. — View Citation

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Pan X, Gong N, Zhao J, Yu Z, Gu F, Chen J, Sun X, Zhao L, Yu M, Xu Z, Dong W, Qin Y, Fei G, Zhong C, Xu TL. Powerful beneficial effects of benfotiamine on cognitive impairment and beta-amyloid deposition in amyloid precursor protein/presenilin-1 transgenic mice. Brain. 2010 May;133(Pt 5):1342-51. doi: 10.1093/brain/awq069. Epub 2010 Apr 12. — View Citation

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Stracke H, Hammes HP, Werkmann D, Mavrakis K, Bitsch I, Netzel M, Geyer J, Kopcke W, Sauerland C, Bretzel RG, Federlin KF. Efficacy of benfotiamine versus thiamine on function and glycation products of peripheral nerves in diabetic rats. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes. 2001;109(6):330-6. doi: 10.1055/s-2001-17399. — View Citation

Tapias V, Jainuddin S, Ahuja M, Stack C, Elipenahli C, Vignisse J, Gerges M, Starkova N, Xu H, Starkov AA, Bettendorff L, Hushpulian DM, Smirnova NA, Gazaryan IG, Kaidery NA, Wakade S, Calingasan NY, Thomas B, Gibson GE, Dumont M, Beal MF. Benfotiamine treatment activates the Nrf2/ARE pathway and is neuroprotective in a transgenic mouse model of tauopathy. Hum Mol Genet. 2018 Aug 15;27(16):2874-2892. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddy201. — View Citation

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* Note: There are 30 references in all — Click here to view all references

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Phase 2A: The rate of tolerability events (TEs).	The primary safety outcome in phase 2A is the rate of tolerability events (TEs) compared between active arms (benfotiamine) and placebo arms, at each dose. A TE is counted when either a participant discontinues study drug due to intolerability or experiences a moderate or severe adverse event (AE) that is determined to be possibly, probably or definitely related to study drug.	Up to 72 weeks
Primary	Phase 2B: The primary cognitive endpoint is the within-participant change from baseline to 72 weeks compared between active arms (benfotiamine) and placebo on the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale - Cognitive Subscale 13 (ADAS-Cog13).	ADAS-Cog13 is a structured psychometric scale that evaluates memory (immediate and delayed word recall; immediate word recognition), receptive and expressive language, orientation, ideational praxis (preparing a letter for mailing), constructional praxis (copying figures), and attention (number cancellation). Ratings of spoken language, language comprehension, word finding difficulty, and ability to remember test instructions also are obtained. ADAS-Cog13 total score has a range of 0-85; with higher scores indicating greater impairment.	72 weeks
Primary	Phase 2B: The primary functional endpoint is the within-participant change from baseline to 72 weeks compared between active arm (benfotiamine) and placebo on the Clinical Dementia Rating - Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB).	CDR-SB is a composite rating of cognition and everyday function which incorporates both informant input and direct assessment of performance. It assesses through semi-structured interview three cognitive domains (memory, orientation, and judgement/problem solving) and three everyday functional domains (community affairs, home and hobbies, personal care). Level of impairment in each of the six domains is rated from none (score=0) to severe (score=3). The six domain scores are then summed to create the CDR-SB. Range 0-18; higher scores indicate greater impairment.	72 weeks
Secondary	Number of Participants With Adverse Events (AEs) and Serious AEs.	An Adverse Event (AE) is defined as any new untoward medical occurrence or worsening of a pre-existing medical condition in participants or clinical investigation participants administered an investigational (medicinal) product and that does not necessarily have a causal relationship with this treatment. A serious AE (SAE) is defined as any event that met any of the following criteria at any dose: death; life-threatening; inpatient hospitalization or prolongation of existing hospitalization; persistent or significant disability/incapacity; congenital anomaly/birth defect in the offspring of a participant who received study drug; other important medical events that may have jeopardized the participant and may have required medical or surgical intervention to prevent one of the other serious outcomes. An AE is considered "Related" for causality designations of possible, probable and definite. The number of AEs and SAEs will be compared between active arms (benfotiamine) and placebo arm.	72 weeks
Secondary	Number of Participant Withdrawals from the study.	Number of participant withdrawals from the study for all reasons during the study period (baseline to 72 weeks). Number of participant withdrawals will be compared between active arms (benfotiamine) and placebo arm.	72 weeks
Secondary	Number of Participant Drug Discontinuations.	Number of participant drug discontinuations during the study period (baseline to 72 weeks). Number of participant drug discontinuations will be compared between active arms (benfotiamine) and placebo arm.	72 weeks
Secondary	Mean and Median Thiamine levels (nmol/L).	Measures of thiamine will be provided as blood markers of efficacy of drug delivery. These measurements will be conducted on whole blood and red blood cells. Blood samples to measure mean and median thiamine levels (nmol/L) will be collected on all participants and results compared between active arms (benfotiamine) and placebo arm at baseline and week 72.	Baseline, week 72
Secondary	Mean and Median Thiamine Diphosphate (ThDP) levels (nmol/L).	Measures of thiamine diphosphate (ThDP) will be provided as blood markers of efficacy of drug delivery. These measurements will be conducted on whole blood and red blood cells. Blood samples to measure mean and median Thiamine Diphosphate (ThDP) levels (nmol/L) will be collected on all participants and results compared between active arms (benfotiamine) and placebo arm at baseline and week 72.	Baseline, week 72
Secondary	Mean and Median Thiamine Monophosphate (ThMP) levels (nmol/L).	Measures of thiamine monophosphate (ThMP) will be provided as blood markers of efficacy of drug delivery. These measurements will be conducted on whole blood and red blood cells. Blood samples to measure mean and median Thiamine Monophosphate (ThMP) levels (nmol/L) will be collected on all participants and results compared between active arms (benfotiamine) and placebo arm at baseline and week 72.	Baseline, week 72
Secondary	Mean and Median levels of ThDP Activation of Transketolase (U/g haemoglobin (U/gHb)).	Measures of ThDP activation of transketolase will be provided as blood markers of efficacy of drug delivery. These measurements will be conducted on whole blood and red blood cells. Blood samples to measure mean and median hDP Activation of Transketolase (U/g haemoglobin (U/gHb)) will be collected on all participants and results compared between active arms (benfotiamine) and placebo arm at baseline and week 72.	Baseline, week 72
Secondary	Phase 2B: within-participant change from baseline to 72 weeks compared between active (benfotiamine) arms and placebo arm on The Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study - Activities of Daily Living Scale for use in Mild Cognitive Impairment (ADCS-ADL-MCI).	The ADCS-ADL-MCI is a structured questionnaire completed with the informant to assess the participant's ability to perform basic and instrumental activities of daily living. Activities assessed include dressing; social and occupational functioning; household chores and use of tools; interest in and ability to carry out hobbies; shopping and meal preparation; managing appointments; using a phone and computer/tablet.	72 weeks
Secondary	Phase 2B: within-participant change from baseline to 72 weeks compared between active arms (benfotiamine) and placebo arm on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).	The MoCA is a brief mental status exam, which assesses numerous cognitive domains, including attention and concentration, executive functions, memory, language, visuoconstructional skills, conceptual thinking, calculations, and orientation. Range: 0-30; lower scores indicate more cognitive impairment.	72 weeks