MedPath

Comparing Antipsychotic Medications in LBD Over Time

Phase 4
Recruiting
Conditions
Dementia With Lewy Bodies
Parkinson's Disease Psychosis
Interventions
Registration Number
NCT05590637
Lead Sponsor
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Brief Summary

The primary objective of this study is to determine whether treatment with pimavanserin or quetiapine is associated with a greater improvement in psychosis when used in a routine clinical setting to treat hallucinations and/or delusions due to Parkinson's disease (PD) or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) - collectively referred to as Lewy body disease (LBD).

Detailed Description

Psychosis (hallucinations and delusions) is a common problem in Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). PD is a common neurodegenerative disorder that causes movement, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms. DLB is a similar disorder, though causes more severe cognitive and psychiatric problems. Psychosis is highly prevalent among people with PD and DLB, often manifesting as visual hallucinations or paranoid delusions. Up to 60% of people with PD will experience psychosis over the course of their disease. Psychosis is associated with increased mortality, caregiver burden, and poorer quality of life.

More study is needed to determine the best way to treat psychosis in PD and DLB. Currently, both quetiapine and pimavanserin are used in clinical practice for psychosis in PD and DLB. However, few comparison studies have been done and it is unclear if one medication is superior to the other. This will be a clinical trial comparing quetiapine and pimavanserin among patients with psychosis due to PD or DLB requiring initiation of a medication. Patients will be randomized to quetiapine or pimavanserin and improvement in psychosis at 6 months will be compared between the groups.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
94
Inclusion Criteria
  • Patients seen in the neurology clinic at UT Health San Antonio
  • Diagnosed with psychosis due to PD or DLB
  • Requiring initiation of an antipsychotic medication
  • Clinical equipoise between quetiapine and pimavanserin must exist
  • The prescribing provider must be comfortable prescribing and managing both quetiapine and pimavanserin
Exclusion Criteria
  • Medical contraindication to either medication
  • Caregiver unavailable to complete NPI-Q
  • Currently taking an antipsychotic medication
  • Prescribing provider unwilling to manage either medication

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
quetiapineQuetiapineElderly patients with dementia-related psychosis will be treated with quetiapine, an atypical antipsychotic indicated for the treeatment of: schizophrenia, bipolar I manic episodes and bipolar depressive episodes.
pimavanserinPimavanserinElderly patients with dementia-related psychosis will be treated with pimavanserin, an atypical antipsychotic indicated for treatment of hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson's disease.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Neuropsychiatry Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q), Hallucinations + Delusions (H+D)Baseline to 6 months

Change in the Hallucinations + Delusions sub-score of the neuropsychiatric inventory questionnaire. Each NPI-Q item is scored by severity (1-3), and distress to caregiver (0-5), then added together (range 0-8) with a higher score indicating greater severity.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Neuropsychiatry Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q) total scoreBaseline to 6 months

Change in the total neuropsychiatric inventory questionnaire score, which includes 12 items, each scored from 0-8 with a higher score indicating more severe symptoms.

Neuropsychiatry Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q) (anxiety)Baseline to 6 months

Change in the neuropsychiatric inventory questionnaire item for anxiety, scored from 0-8 with a higher score indicating more severe anxiety.

MDS-UPDRS part 3Baseline to 6 months

Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, motor score. The motor examination scale consists of 33 items graded 0-4 points with an overall possible score of 0-132 points. A higher score indicates a higher burden of motor symptoms.

Neuropsychiatry Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q) (agitation)Baseline to 6 months

Change in the neuropsychiatric inventory questionnaire for agitation, scored from 0-8 with a higher score indicating more severe agitation.

Mortality6 months

Number of subjects who survived until the 6 month study assessment visit

Time to discontinuation of per-protocol medicationBaseline to 6 months

Will examine whether participants continued the chosen medication until study completion or if they either discontinued the study medication or added the other study medication.

Neuropsychiatry Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q) (nighttime behaviors)Baseline to 6 months

Change in the neuropsychiatric inventory questionnaire for sleep disturbance, scored from 0-8 with a higher score indicating more severe sleep disturbances.

CGIC, PGIC, CGI-C:CVRBaseline to 6 months

Clinician, patient, and caregiver global impressions of change. Each is a single item assessment rated from 1 (very much improved) to 7 (very much worse). A higher score indicates worsening symptoms.

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

University Health System

🇺🇸

San Antonio, Texas, United States

UT Health Science Center - San Antonio

🇺🇸

San Antonio, Texas, United States

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath