Trial of Naltrexone/Bupropion for the Treatment of Methamphetamine Use Disorder

Methamphetamine Abuse Clinical Trial

Official title:

Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Multi-Site Trial of Extended-Release Naltrexone Injection/Bupropion XL Tablets in the Treatment of Methamphetamine Use Disorder

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Not yet recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT06233799
• Other study ID #: NIDA/VA CS #1036
• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Phase: Phase 3
• Start date: May 1, 2024
• Est. completion date: April 30, 2027

Study information

• Verified date: January 2024
• Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
• Contact: Jennifer Wong, PhD
• Phone: 301-827-6267
• Email: Jennifer.Wong3[@]nih.gov
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of extended release naltrexone plus bupropion XL (XR-NTX/BUP-XL) compared to matched injectable and oral placebo (iPLB/oPLB) in reducing methamphetamine (MA) use in individuals with moderate or severe methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) seeking to stop or reduce MA use.

Description:

This is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial in which 360 individuals with moderate or severe MUD will be randomly assigned at a 1:1 ratio to receive either 1) extended release naltrexone (XR-NTX; as Vivitrol®) plus once daily oral extended release bupropion (BUP-XL) tablets (the XR-NTX/BUP-XL group) or 2) both the matching injection placebo (iPLB) and once daily oral placebo (oPLB) tablets (the iPLB/oPLB group). The study intervention consists of a 12-week treatment phase. It is hypothesized that the XR-NTX/BUP-XL arm will be associated with a greater number of "responders," defined as participants who provide at least 3 MA-negative urine drug screens (UDS) out of 4 samples obtained during the evaluation period (i.e., Weeks 11-12) of the 12-week long treatment phase, relative to the iPLB/oPLB arm. Secondary objectives include evaluating the effect of the extended release naltrexone plus bupropion XL (XR-NTX/BUP-XL) arm compared to the iPLB/oPLB arm on safety, other substance use outcomes, depression scores, quality of life, overall functioning, clinic attendance, and medication adherence.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Enrollment: 360
• Est. completion date: April 30, 2027
• Est. primary completion date: October 30, 2026
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 65 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Is 18 to 65 years of age;

2. Meets DSM-5 criteria for moderate or severe MUD (4 or more criteria);

3. Is interested in reducing or stopping MA use;

4. Is able to speak English sufficiently to understand the study procedures and provide written informed consent to participate in the study;

5. Self-reports MA use on 18 or more days in the 30-day period prior to consent using the Timeline Followback (TLFB);

6. Provides at least 2 urine samples positive for MA out of up to 3 tests, which will occur at least 2 days apart within a 10-day period;

7. If assigned as female at birth and/or currently has a uterus, is not pregnant, agrees to use acceptable birth control methods, and have periodic urine pregnancy testing done during participation in the study unless documentation of hysterectomy provided;

8. Is not physically dependent on opioids and meets subjective and objective measures of being opioid-free prior to naltrexone injection per study medical clinician's determination, including, if clinically required, a negative naloxone challenge;

9. Is willing to comply with all study procedures and medication instructions;

10. Agrees to use a smartphone app (downloaded for free to own device or on a study provided smartphone device) to take daily videos of medication dosing.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Has an acute medical or psychiatric disorder that would, in the judgment of the study medical clinician, make participation difficult or unsafe;

2. Has suicidal or homicidal ideation that requires immediate attention;

3. Has a history of epilepsy, seizure disorder, or head trauma with neurological sequelae (e.g., loss of consciousness that required hospitalization); current anorexia nervosa or bulimia; or any other conditions that increase seizure risk in the opinion of the study medical clinician;

4. Has evidence of second or third degree heart block, atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, prolongation of the QTc, or any other finding on the screening ECG that, in the opinion of the study medical clinician, would preclude safe participation in the study;

5. Has Stage 2 hypertension as determined by the study medical clinician (e.g., greater than or equal to 160/100 in 2 out of 3 readings during screening);

6. Has any elevated bilirubin test value per laboratory criteria OR any other liver function test (LFT) value > 5 times the upper limit of normal per laboratory criteria;

7. Has a platelet count <100 x 10exp3/microliter;

8. Has a body habitus that precludes gluteal intramuscular injection of XR-NTX in accordance with the administration equipment (needle) and procedures;

9. Has a known allergy or sensitivity to bupropion, naloxone, naltrexone, PLG (polyactideco-glycolide), carboxymethylcellulose or any other component of the XR-NTX diluents;

10. Has been in a prior study of pharmacological or behavioral treatment for MUD within 6 months of study consent;

11. Has taken an investigational drug in another study within 30 days of study consent;

12. Has been prescribed and taken naltrexone or bupropion within 30 days of study consent;

13. Is concurrently enrolled in formal behavioral or pharmacological Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment services;

14. Is receiving ongoing treatment with tricyclic antidepressants, xanthines (i.e., theophylline and aminophylline), systemic corticosteroids, nelfinavir, efavirenz, chlorpromazine, MAOIs, central nervous system stimulants (e.g., Adderall, Ritalin, etc.), or any medication that, in the judgment of the study medical clinician, could interact adversely with study medications;

15. Has a current pattern of alcohol, benzodiazepine, or other sedative hypnotic use which would preclude safe participation in the study as determined by the study medical clinician;

16. Requires treatment with opioid-containing medications (e.g., opioid analgesics) during the study period;

17. Has a surgery planned or scheduled during the study period;

18. Is currently in jail, prison or any inpatient overnight facility as required by court of law or have pending legal action or other situation (e.g., unstable living arrangements) that could prevent participation in the study or in any study activities;

19. If assigned as female at birth and/or currently has a uterus, is currently pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning on conception.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Methamphetamine Abuse
• Methamphetamine-dependence

Intervention

Drug:
• extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX)
Once per three weeks injections of extended-release naltrexone
• extended release bupropion (BUP-XL) tablets (BUP-XL)
Daily oral extended release bupropion tablets
• iPLB
Once per three weeks injections of placebo
• oPLB
Daily oral placebo tablets

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
n/a

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Number of Participants with at least 75% methamphetamine-negative urine drug screen tests during the evaluation period (i. e., Weeks 11-12)	Participants will be administered four urine drug screen tests (two tests/week) during the evaluation period. (i.e., Weeks 11-12).	2 weeks (i. e., Weeks 11-12)
Secondary	safety measured as frequency and severity of adverse events (AEs)	adverse events (AEs), clinical lab tests, suicidality	16 weeks (12 week treatment plus followup)
Secondary	Severity of Craving as measured by Visual Analog Scale	Craving score as assessed by Visual Analog Scale that ranges from 0 (no craving) to 100 (most intense craving possible). The Visual Analog Scale will be completed at each screening visit, twice weekly throughout the treatment phase, and at the Week 14 and 16 follow-up visits.	16 weeks (12 week treatment plus followup)
Secondary	Severity of Depression as assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9	Diagnostic criteria for major depression, severity and frequency of depressive symptoms, presence of suicidal ideation, and functional impairment related to depression will be assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (Kroenke et al., 2001)	16 weeks (12 week treatment plus followup)
Secondary	Treatment Effectiveness as measured by the Treatment Effectiveness Assessment	The Treatment Effectiveness Assessment (TEA; Ling et al., 2012) is a 4-item self-administered assessment to document changes in four life domains: substance use, personal responsibilities, health, and community. The TEA will be collected at screening, mid-treatment (Week 6 visit 2), end-of-treatment (Week 12 visit 2), and follow-up (Weeks 14 and 16).	16 weeks (12 week treatment plus followup)
Secondary	Quality of Life as measured by PROMIS® Profile 29 for adults	The instrument includes 29 self-administered questions from the PROMIS® Profile 29 for adults. The quality of life questions include physical function, anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance, ability to participate in social roles and activities, and pain intensity over the past 30 days. Each question, except for the pain intensity question, is measured on a 5-point scale. Quality of Life will be assessed at screening, mid-treatment (Week 6 visit 2), end-of-treatment (Week 12 visit 2), and follow-up (Weeks 14 and 16).	16 weeks (12 week treatment plus followup)