MedPath

Intranasal Oxytocin for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder

Phase 2
Completed
Conditions
Alcohol Misuse
Alcohol Use Disorder
Interventions
Registration Number
NCT03878316
Lead Sponsor
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Brief Summary

Primary: The primary objective of the study is to compare the efficacy of intranasal oxytocin in reducing the weekly percentage of heavy drinking days over the 10 weeks of maintenance treatment among subjects with moderate to severe Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). A "heavy drinking day" is 4 or more drinks per drinking day for women and 5 or more drinks per drinking day for men.

Secondary: Secondary objectives include assessment of other measures of the effects of oxytocin compared with placebo on reduction of alcohol use as well as effects on psychological assessments, alcohol craving, alcohol-related consequences, cigarette smoking and other nicotine use, retention in the study, safety, and application site (nares) tolerability throughout the study.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
100
Inclusion Criteria
  1. Be at least 21 years of age.

  2. Have a current (past 12 months) DSM-5 diagnosis of AUD (4 or more symptoms) assessed using the MINI neuropsychiatric interview version 7.0.2 (at least moderate severity, ICD-10-CM Code F10.20 alcohol dependence, uncomplicated).

  3. Have a BAC by breathalyzer equal to 0.000 when s/he signed the informed consent document (either just prior to or immediately after signing consent).

  4. Be seeking treatment for problems with alcohol reduction in drinking.

  5. Be able to verbalize an understanding of the consent form, able to provide written informed consent, verbalize willingness to complete study procedures, able to understand written and oral instructions in English and able to complete the questionnaires required by the protocol.

  6. Agree (if the subject is female and of child bearing potential) to use at least one of the following methods of birth control, unless she is surgically sterile, partner is surgically sterile or she is postmenopausal:

    1. oral contraceptives,
    2. contraceptive sponge,
    3. patch,
    4. double barrier (diaphragm/spermicidal or condom/spermicidal),
    5. intrauterine contraceptive system,
    6. etonogestrel implant,
    7. medroxyprogesterone acetate contraceptive injection,
    8. complete abstinence from sexual intercourse, and/or
    9. hormonal vaginal contraceptive ring.
  7. Be able to take intranasal investigational products and be willing to adhere to the investigational product regimen.

  8. Complete all assessments required at screening and baseline.

  9. Have a place to live in the 2 weeks prior to randomization and not be at risk that s/he will lose his/her housing by Study Week 14.

  10. Not anticipate any significant problems with transportation arrangements or available time to travel to the study site by Study Week 14.

  11. Not have any plans to move within Study Week 14 to a location which would make continued participation in the study impractical.

  12. Not have any unresolved legal problems that could jeopardize continuation or completion of the study.

  13. Provide contact information of someone, such as a family member, spouse, or significant other, who may be able to contact the subject in case of a missed clinic appointment.

  14. Be someone who in the opinion of the investigator would be expected to complete the study protocol.

  15. Agree to the schedule of visits, verbally acknowledge that s/he will be able to attend each scheduled visit, participate in phone visits and that s/he does not have any already scheduled events or a job that may substantially interfere with study participation.

  16. If taking a medication for depression or anxiety, must have been taking a stable dose in the 2-months prior to randomization and plan to continue during the study. This includes drugs such as the following:

    • SSRIs
    • Dual uptake inhibitors
    • SNRIs
    • Tricyclic antidepressants
    • MAOIs
    • Bupropion
  17. Not currently taking oxytocin and agree not to take non-study oxytocin for the duration of the study.

Exclusion Criteria

Contact study site for exclusion criteria.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Intranasal OxytocinInstranasal OxytocinOxytocin, 35 IU per dose, intranasally twice-daily. One dose is defined as intranasal spray of 100 μL per each nostril x 5 sprays in alternating nostrils with a 30 second wait between sprays for a total dose volume of 500 μL. The total daily dose of oxytocin will be 70 IU/mL.
Instrasal PlaceboInstranasal OxytocinIdentically matched placebo administered intranasally twice-daily. One dose is defined as intranasal spray of 100 μL per each nostril x 5 sprays in alternating nostrils with a 30 second wait between sprays for a total dose volume of 500 μL.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Weekly Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days10 Weeks

The primary efficacy endpoint is the weekly percentage of heavy drinking days during the 10-week maintenance treatment period. A "heavy drinking day" is 4 or more drinks per drinking day for women and 5 or more drinks per drinking day for men. Drinking data will be collected by the Timeline Followback (TLFB) method.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Percentage of subjects with at least a 2-level World Health Organization WHO) drinking risk category decrease10 weeks
MINI AUD Score at end of study12 weeks
Percentage of subjects abstinent from alcohol during treatment10 weeks
Weekly mean number of drinks per week12 weeks
PROMIS alcohol-related negative consequences scores10 weeks
Percentage of days abstinent from alcohol per week10 weeks
Percentage of subjects with no heavy drinking days during treatment10 Weeks
Percentage of subjects with at least a 1-level World Health Organization WHO) drinking risk category decrease10 weeks
Cigarettes smoked per week among smokers10 weeks
Experiences in Close Relationships-Relationship Structures Questionnaire (ECR-RS) scores (attachment-related anxiety)12 weeks
PROMIS sleep disturbances scores10 weeks
Urge to Drink Scores10 weeks
Abstinence from cigarette smoking among smokers12 weeks
Weekly mean drinks per drinking day10 weeks
Other nicotine product use per week among other nicotine product users10 weeks
PROMIS pain interference scores10 weeks
Profile of Moods States (POMS) scores (including subscale scores)10 weeks

Trial Locations

Locations (4)

University of California

🇺🇸

Los Angeles, California, United States

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

🇺🇸

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Boston Medical Center

🇺🇸

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

University of Virginia

🇺🇸

Charlottesville, Virginia, United States

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