Clinical Trial Characterizing the Bioavailability of 1-Octanol in Adults With Ethanol-responsive Essential Tremor

Essential Tremor Clinical Trial

Official title:

Clinical Trial Characterizing the Bioavailability of 1-Octanol in Adults With Ethanol-responsive Essential Tremor

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00102596
• Other study ID #: 050092
• Secondary ID: 05-N-0092
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2
• First received: January 30, 2005
• Last updated: January 31, 2012
• Start date: January 2005
• Est. completion date: September 2009

Study information

• Verified date: January 2012
• Source: National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: United States: Federal GovernmentUnited States: Food and Drug Administration
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

OVERVIEW

Essential tremor (ET) is a common movement disorder affecting 0.4% of the general population and up to 14% of people 65 years and older. Response to medications such as beta blockers and primidone may be of benefit, but are often accompanied by intolerable side effects. Response to ethanol, on the other hand, has a roughly 80% chance of significant tremor reduction, though daily use of this as a treatment has potentially serious medical, social, and legal consequences.

The leading hypothesis for ET pathophysiology is an unmasking of spontaneous oscillations originating in neurons of the inferior olive. Both ethanol and 1-octanol have been shown to reduce these spontaneous oscillations in an animal model of ET; however, 1-octanol does this at a dose much lower than that leading to intoxication, suggesting in may be useful in the treatment of essential tremor. Our initial studies with 1-octanol have shown it to be safe at dosages up to 64mg/kg without signs of intoxication, while at the same time showing benefit.

OBJECTIVE

We plan to evaluate the efficacy of different 1-octanol formulations in humans based on accelerometry and spirography. We will also evaluate drug and metabolite bioavailabilities using a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) detection method from plasma and urine samples.

STUDY POPULATION

We will study adult subjects with ethanol-responsive Essential Tremor (ET).

DESIGN

This study is designed as a two-phase unblinded inpatient study of adults with ET receiving weight-adjusted oral dosages of 2 different formulations of 1-octanol in a crossover fashion. Phase I of the study is designed to develop an octanol detection assay using HPLC. Four subjects will receive daily escalating dosages (1-32 mg/kg) of a single 1-octanol formulation followed by a crossover trial of both formulations at a dosage of 64 mg/kg. Phase II will study 20 subjects receiving one of the two formulations at 64 mg/kg on inpatient day 1 followed by a 24 hour period of close monitoring. The second formulation will be given on day 3 and the patient will again undergo close monitoring for 24 hours.

OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcome measures for the study will be efficacy based on tremor ratings from accelerometry and spirography. Secondary outcome measures will be the determination of bioavailability, pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profiles of octanol #61864 and octanol #68751 and their metabolites.

Description:

OVERVIEW

Essential tremor (ET) is a common movement disorder affecting 0.4% of the general population and up to 14% of people 65 years and older. Response to medications such as beta blockers and primidone may be of benefit, but are often accompanied by intolerable side effects. Response to ethanol, on the other hand, has a roughly 80% chance of significant tremor reduction, though daily use of this as a treatment has potentially serious medical, social, and legal consequences.

The leading hypothesis for ET pathophysiology is an unmasking of spontaneous oscillations originating in neurons of the inferior olive. Both ethanol and 1-octanol have been shown to reduce these spontaneous oscillations in an animal model of ET; however, 1-octanol does this at a dose much lower than that leading to intoxication, suggesting it may be useful in the treatment of essential tremor. Our initial studies with 1-octanol have shown it to be safe at dosages up to 64mg/kg without signs of intoxication, while at the same time showing benefit.

OBJECTIVE

We plan to evaluate the efficacy of different 1-octanol formulations in humans based on accelerometry and spirography. We will also evaluate drug and metabolite bioavailabilities using a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) detection method from plasma and urine samples.

STUDY POPULATION

We will study adult subjects with ethanol-responsive Essential Tremor (ET).

DESIGN

This study is designed as a two-phase unblinded inpatient study of adults with ET receiving weight-adjusted oral dosages of 2 different formulations of 1-octanol in a crossover fashion. Phase I of the study is designed to develop an octanol detection assay using HPLC. Four subjects will receive daily escalating dosages (1-32 mg/kg) of a single 1-octanol formulation followed by a crossover trial of both formulations at a dosage of 64 mg/kg. Phase II will study 20 subjects receiving one of the two formulations at 64 mg/kg on inpatient day 1 followed by a 24 hour period of close monitoring. The second formulation will be given on day 3 and the patient will again undergo close monitoring for 24 hours.

OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcome measures for the study will be efficacy based on tremor ratings from accelerometry and spirography. Secondary outcome measures will be the determination of bioavailability, pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profiles of octanol #61864 and octanol #68751 and their metabolites.

Addendum: Based on the results of the assays for all subjects who participated in Part 1 and 2 of this protocol, we would like to conduct an exploratory study (Part 3) consisting of two subjects receiving a dose of 128mg/kg of 1-octanol. This is meant to primarily explore the plasma concentration of 1-octanol, while also providing valuable information regarding the safety and efficacy at this higher dose. The remainder of the experimental design will be maintained, with exception of additional safety precautions which will be discussed in the protocol and consent.

Other known NCT identifiers

• NCT01195909

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 21
• Est. completion date: September 2009
• Est. primary completion date: September 2009
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Both
• Age group: 21 Years and older

Eligibility

INCLUSION CRITERIA:

• Patients with alcohol-responsive Essential Tremor

• Limb involvement should be a prominent feature of the Essential tremor

• Patients must be willing and able to safely stop and remain off any medications used to treat essential tremor for at least 4 half-lives

• Patients must be willing to abstain from ethanol and caffeine intake for at least 48 hours prior to starting the study hospitalization until study termination

• Patients must be willing and able to fast for periods of up to 12 hours during the study

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

• Patients with abnormalities other than tremor on neurological exam

• Patients with active or past alcohol abuse or dependence

• Patients with acute or chronic severe medical conditions such as renal failure, hepatic failure or lung disease

• Patients taking primidone

• Patients on other acute or chronic medications that influence hepatic metabolism or central nervous system (CNS) function and cannot be temporarily discontinued for the length of the study

• Patients who do not wish to take a potentially intoxicating drug

• Patients with abnormalities on their baseline screening laboratory tests

• Women who are pregnant or lactating

• Patients younger than age 21

• The presence of cognitive impairment preventing informed consent or cooperation during the study

• People of Far East Asian or Native American descent, who may possess variant alleles of the genes for alcohol metabolism, i.e., alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase, resulting in altered (slower) metabolism and potentially increased sensitivity to alcohols and their metabolites

Study Design

Endpoint Classification: Pharmacokinetics/Dynamics Study, Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Essential Tremor
• Tremor

Intervention

Drug:
• 1-Octanol
1-Octanol is an long-chain alcohol with potential therapeutic benefits in treating alcohol-responsive tremors based on unknown mechanisms. The intervention consisted of either 1) 1-octanol adsorbed to microcrystalline cellulose, NF (Avicel PH 102, FMC Corp., Philadelphia, PA), and fine particle silica (Sipernat 50S, Evonik Degussa Corp., Parsippany, NJ) and encapsulated in 50 mg and 250 mg dosages; or 2) a soft-gel capsule containing 1-octanol embedded in soybean oil at 50 mg and 800 mg dosages (Best Formulations Inc, City of Industry, CA).

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike	Bethesda	Maryland

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (5)

Bikson M, Ghai RS, Baraban SC, Durand DM. Modulation of burst frequency, duration, and amplitude in the zero-Ca(2+) model of epileptiform activity. J Neurophysiol. 1999 Nov;82(5):2262-70. — View Citation

Busenbark KL, Nash J, Nash S, Hubble JP, Koller WC. Is essential tremor benign? Neurology. 1991 Dec;41(12):1982-3. — View Citation

Bushara KO, Goldstein SR, Grimes GJ Jr, Burstein AH, Hallett M. Pilot trial of 1-octanol in essential tremor. Neurology. 2004 Jan 13;62(1):122-4. — View Citation

Fahn S, Tolosa E, Marín C. Clinical rating scale for tremor. In: Jankovic J, Tolosa E, editors. Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders. 2nd ed. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1993. p. 225-34.

Nahab FB, Wittevrongel L, Ippolito D, Toro C, Grimes GJ, Starling J, Potti G, Haubenberger D, Bowen D, Buchwald P, Dong C, Kalowitz D, Hallett M. An open-label, single-dose, crossover study of the pharmacokinetics and metabolism of two oral formulations o — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Normalized Mean Tremor Amplitude for Both Formulations of 64 mg/kg 1-Octanol in Part B	Spirography mean tremor amplitudes were measured in the right hand of each participant at 0, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 240 and 360 minutes post-dose. Then, the scores of each participant were normalized (i.e., divided by) by their baseline tremor severity scores so that all scores are expressed as a proportion of the baseline score. Therefore, 1 is the baseline tremor severity, and lower scores indicate tremor reduction.	0, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 240 and 360 minutes post-dose	No
Secondary	Blood Plasma Levels of Octanoic Acid After 64 mg/kg 1-Octanol Dose	Octanoic Acid is a metabolite of 1-octanol. Blood plasma levels of octanoic acid were measured at 5, 20, 45, 70, 100, 130, 160, 210, 270 and 360 minutes post-dose.	5, 20, 45, 70, 100, 130, 160, 210, 270 and 360 minutes post-dose	No
Secondary	Heart Rate Post 1-Octanol Dose		0 minutes, 15 minutes, 100 minutes and 24 hours post-dose	Yes
Secondary	PR and QTc Intervals Post 1-Octanol Dose		0 minutes, 15 minutes, 100 minutes and 24 hours post-dose	Yes