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Varenicline for Alcohol Dependence

Phase 2
Conditions
Alcohol Dependence
Interventions
Drug: Placebo
Registration Number
NCT01071187
Lead Sponsor
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Brief Summary

The varenicline for alcohol dependence trial investigates the efficacy of varenicline versus placebo for maintaining abstinence in the postacute treatment of alcohol dependent subjects. The main study hypothesis is that subjects treated with varenicline have more abstinent days during the study.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
40
Inclusion Criteria
  • diagnosis of alcohol dependence according to DSM IV
  • inpatient or outpatient
  • last alcohol consumption within 7-21 days before randomisation
  • subjects must have gone through a detoxification program and must be free of withdrawal symptoms at randomisation
  • diagnosis of nicotine dependence according to DSM IV
  • sufficient knowledge of the german language
  • subject is able to follow verbal and written instructions
  • subject is enabled to consent
  • ability of subject to understand character and individual consequences of the clinical trial
  • signed and dated informed consent of the subject must bei available before start of any specific trial procedures
  • subject must have a clearly stated desire to stay abstinent
  • women who are postmenopausal for more than two years or women with childbearing potential who practicing two years can participate in the study
Exclusion Criteria
  • alcohol withdrawal delirium during last alcohol detoxification
  • alcohol induced dementia
  • severe renal insufficiency
  • detoxification against subject's will
  • women who are pregnant or breastfeeding or planning to become pregnant during the trial
  • women with childbearing potential who not practicing a medically accepted contraception during the trial
  • subjects with a known psychiatric disorder requiring treatment including a major depressive disorder, a substance dependence or abuse (besides nicotine, alcohol and cannabis)a psychosis or a dissocial personality disorder according to DSM-IV
  • elevated suicide risk, defined as one positive question in the suicide section of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.)
  • subjects with acute depression, defined as a HAMD17 (german version) sum score > 9 or a BDI (german version) sum score > 12
  • clinically relevant acute or chronic progressive neurologic, gastrointestinel, cardiovascular, hepatic, renal, hematological, endocrine, dermatological or respiratory disease
  • severe infection, a alcohol-induced hepatitis or a uncontrolled arterial hypertension
  • use of any medication that can effect on alcohol consumption within 14 days of study initiation including antidepressants, antipsychotics, anticonvulsives, benzodiazepines (besides given in the contect of the detoxification program, anticraving drugs as naltrexone, acamprosate and disulfiram and nicotine substitutes
  • subjects with following lab parameters: AST upper fivehold normal limit, PTT < 50%, leucocytes <2/nl, haemoglobin < 9g/dl, thrombocytes < 80/nl, creatinine > 1,5mg/dl and creatinine clearance < 30ml/min
  • history of cancer in 5 last years
  • known allergy against ingredient of study drug
  • history of myocardial infarction or stroke
  • participation in a clinical trial during last 90 days prior to screening
  • clinically relevant visual disturbance or ear disease

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
PlaceboPlacebo-
VareniclineVareniclineTreatment with varenicline with 0,5mg daily on day 1-3, 1mg daily on day 4-7 and 2mg daily on day 8-84.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Number of total alcohol abstinent days during he 12 weeks study period, percentage of the treatment days12 weeks
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Number of standard drinks per drinking day, assessed by the time-line-follow-back-interview.12 weeks
Severity of the alcohol dependence assessed by the European Addiction Severity Index (EuropASI)12 weeks
Proportion of abstinent patients during the study, percentage of all patients12 weeks
Compliance of the subjects12 weeks
alcohol craving assessed by the obsessive compulsive drinking scale (OCDS) and a visual analog scale (VAS)12 weeks
Number of cigarettes per day12 weeks
Number of nicotine abstinent days, percentage of the treatment days12 weeks
Time in days to first alcoholic drink, assessed by the time-line-follow-back-interview12 weeks
Time in days to first heavy drinking, assessed by the time-line-follow-back-interview.12 weeks
Number of days with heavy drinking as percentage of all treatment days, assessed by time-line-follow-back-interview.12 weeks
Severity of the nicotine dependence, assessed by the Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence12 weeks
Occurrence of adverse events12 weeks
Quality of life, assessed by the questionnaire for health condition Fragebogen zum allgemeinen Gesundheitszustand (SF-12)12 weeks
Intensity of depressive symptoms, assessed by the Beck Depression Inventors (BDI)12 weeks
Changes in gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase levels12 weeks
Absolute change in the Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGI)12 weeks

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

Department of psychiatry, psychosomatics and psychotherapie, Markus hospital, Frankfurt am Main

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Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, Germany

Department of psychiatry and psychotherapy, University medical center of the Johannes Gutenberg.university Mainz

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Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany

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