Safety and Tolerability Study of Phenylbutyrate in Huntington's Disease (PHEND-HD)

Huntington's Disease Clinical Trial

Official title: Phenylbutyrate Development for Huntington's Disease (PHEND-HD): A Multi-Center, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study With Open-Label Follow-Up to Determine the Safety and Tolerability of Phenylbutyrate in Subjects With Huntington's Disease

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety, tolerability and clinical impact of 15-grams daily of sodium phenylbutyrate (phenylbutyrate) in Huntington's disease and to lay the groundwork for possible subsequent trials designed to specifically address its ability to slow or halt the progression of the disease.

Clinical Trial Description

Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant disorder resulting in selective loss of neurons in the striatum—an area of the brain that controls movement, balance, and walking—and other areas of the brain. The disease is characterized by progressive motor and cognitive decline. There is no cure or even plausible treatment to offset the fatal course of the disease. Therefore, any treatment that ameliorates the disease would be of enormous importance.

The purpose of this double-blind, placebo-controlled study—with open-label follow-up—is to determine the safety and tolerability of 15-grams daily of oral phenylbutyrate in people with HD. The study will enroll 60 individuals. Eligible participants will be initially randomized to receive either phenylbutyrate or the matching placebo for 4 weeks.

After the placebo-controlled phase, all participants will enter the open-label phase to receive phenylbutyrate for 12 weeks. Participants will be followed for one month off phenylbutyrate.

This combination of a short-term double-blind, placebo-controlled phase followed by a longer open-label phase will favor the primary goals of detecting toxicity and intolerability while facilitating recruitment and maximizing number of subjects on study drug. ;

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Safety Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double-Blind, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Huntington Disease
• Huntington's Disease

• NCT number: NCT00212316
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: University of Rochester
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2
• Start date: August 2005
• Completion date: June 2006