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FREEDOM-C: Oral Treprostinil in Combination With an Endothelin Receptor Antagonist (ERA) and/or a Phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) Inhibitor for the Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH)

Phase 3
Completed
Conditions
Pulmonary Hypertension
Interventions
Drug: Placebo
Drug: Oral treprostinil (UT-15C) sustained release tablets
Registration Number
NCT00325442
Lead Sponsor
United Therapeutics
Brief Summary

This study was an international, multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in subjects with PAH who were currently receiving approved therapy for their PAH (i.e., endothelin receptor antagonist and/or phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor). Study visits occurred at 4 week intervals for 16 weeks; the key measure of efficacy was the 6-minute walk test. Study procedures included routine blood tests, medical history, physical exams, disease evaluation, and exercise tests. One optional substudy was also a part of FREEDOM-C at select centers - a hemodynamic substudy with a right heart catheterization at Baseline and Week 16.

Patients who completed all assessments for 16-weeks were also eligible to enter an open-label, extension phase study (FREEDOM - EXT).

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
354
Inclusion Criteria
  • Between 12 and 70 years of age, inclusive.
  • Body weight at least 45 kg (approximately 100 pounds).
  • PAH that is either idiopathic/heritable (including PAH associated with appetite suppressant/toxin use); PAH associated with repaired congenital systemic-to-pulmonary shunts (repaired ≥ 5 years); PAH associated with collagen vascular disease; or PAH associated with HIV.
  • Baseline 6-minute walk distance between 150 and 450 meters, inclusive.
  • Currently receiving an approved endothelin receptor antagonist and/or an approved phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor for at least 90 days and on a stable dose for at least the last 30 days.
  • Previous testing (e.g., right heart catheterization, echocardiography) consistent with the diagnosis of PAH.
  • Reliable and cooperative with protocol requirements.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Nursing or pregnant.
  • Received a prostacyclin within the past 30 days.
  • PAH due to conditions other than noted in the above inclusion criteria.
  • History of uncontrolled sleep apnea, renal insufficiency, anemia, left sided heart disease, uncontrolled systemic hypertension, or parenchymal lung disease.
  • Use of an investigational drug within 30 days of Baseline.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Placebo ArmPlaceboSubjects assigned to placebo 0.25, 0.5, 1, or 5 mg oral tablets.
ActiveOral treprostinil (UT-15C) sustained release tabletsSubjects assigned to active therapy with UT-15C 0.25, 0.5, 1, or 5 mg oral tablets.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Six Minute Walk Distance (6MWD)Baseline and 16 Weeks

Placebo corrected change in six minute walk distance (6MWD) from Baseline to Week 16, correlates with the historical clinical standard for assessing patient functional status in the treatment of PAH and is considered an objective measure of patient functional status by the American Thoracic Society (ATS).

The six minute walk test was to be conducted 3 to 6 hours after the previous dose of study drug.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Borg Dyspnea ScoreBaseline and 16 Weeks

The Borg dyspnea score is a 10-point scale rating the maximum level of dyspnea experienced during the 6-minute walk test. The Borg dyspnea score was assessed immediately following the 6-minute walk test. Scores ranged from 0 (for no shortness of breath) to 10 (for greatest shortness of breath ever experienced).

Clinical Worsening AssessmentBaseline and 16 Weeks

Definition of clinical worsening required one of the following:

1. Death (all causes excluding accident)

2. Transplantation or atrial septostomy

3. Clinical deterioration as defined by:

1. Hospitalization as a result of PAH, or

2. ≥ 20% decrease in 6-minute walk distance from Baseline (or too ill to walk) and a decrease in WHO functional class And

3. Initiation of new PAH specific therapy (i.e., ERA, PDE5I, prostacyclin).

Dyspnea-Fatigue IndexBaseline and 16 Weeks

The dyspnea-fatigue index has three components, each rated on a scale of 0 to 4, for the magnitude of the task that evokes dyspnea or fatigue, the magnitude of the pace (or effort) with which the task is performed and the associated functional impairment in general activities. The ratings for each component were added to form an aggregate score, which could range from 0, for the worst condition, to 12, for the best.

World Health Organization Functional Classification for PAHWeek 16

Class I: Patients with pulmonary hypertension but without resulting limitation of physical activity. Ordinary physical activity does not cause undue dyspnea or fatigue, chest pain, or near syncope.

Class II: Patients with pulmonary hypertension resulting in slight limitation of physical activity. These patients are comfortable at rest, but ordinary physical activity causes undue dyspnea or fatigue, chest pain or near syncope.

Class III: Patients with pulmonary hypertension resulting in marked limitation of physical activity. They are comfortable at rest. Ordinary activity causes undue dyspnea or fatigue, chest pain, or near syncope.

Class IV: Patients with pulmonary hypertension with inability to carry out any physical activity without symptoms. These patients manifest signs of right heart failure. Dyspnea and/or fatigue may be present even at rest. Discomfort is increased by any physical activity.

Six Minute Walk Distance (6MWD)Baseline and 4 weeks

Placebo corrected change in six minute walk distance (6MWD) from Baseline to Week 4, correlates with the historical clinical standard for assessing patient functional status in the treatment of PAH and is considered an objective measure of patient functional status by the American Thoracic Society (ATS).

The six minute walk test was to be conducted 3 to 6 hours after the previous dose of study drug.

Change in Symptoms of PAH From Baseline to Week 16Baseline and 16 weeks

Defined symptoms of PAH including fatigue, dyspnea, edema, dizziness, syncope, chest pain, and orthopnea were assessed at Baseline prior to starting study drug and during the Treatment Phase at Week 16. Severity grade values (i.e., 0, 1, 2, or 3 in increasing severity) were assigned for each symptom. The outcome data describes the change in severity values from Baseline to Week 16 for each defined symptom of PAH.

Trial Locations

Locations (72)

SMBD Jewish General Hospital

🇨🇦

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

University of Maryland School of Medicine

🇺🇸

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

University Hospitals of Cleveland

🇺🇸

Cleveland, Ohio, United States

The Cleveland Clinic Foundation

🇺🇸

Cleveland, Ohio, United States

UT Southwestern

🇺🇸

Dallas, Texas, United States

University of Washington Medical Center

🇺🇸

Seattle, Washington, United States

Stanford University, Pulmonary and Critical Care

🇺🇸

Palo Alto, California, United States

Harbour-UCLA Medical Center

🇺🇸

Torrance, California, United States

University of Chicago

🇺🇸

Chicago, Illinois, United States

University of Iowa Health Care

🇺🇸

Iowa, Iowa, United States

Massachusetts General Hospital

🇺🇸

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center

🇺🇸

New York, New York, United States

Washington University Hospital

🇺🇸

Saint Louis, Missouri, United States

Ohio State University

🇺🇸

Columbus, Ohio, United States

Mary M Parkes Center for Asthma, Allergy and Pulmonary Care

🇺🇸

Rochester, New York, United States

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

🇺🇸

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Allegheny General Hospital

🇺🇸

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Baylor College of Medicine, Pulmonary & Critical Care

🇺🇸

Houston, Texas, United States

Intermountain Medical Center

🇺🇸

Murray, Utah, United States

Inova Transplant Center

🇺🇸

Fairfax, Virginia, United States

Royal Perth Hospital

🇦🇺

Perth, Australia

St. Vincent's Hospital

🇦🇺

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

The Prince Charles Hospital

🇦🇺

Brisbane, Australia

Universitaet Wien

🇦🇹

Wien, Austria

University Hospital Gasthuisberg

🇧🇪

Leuven, Belgium

Lab London Health Sciences Center

🇨🇦

London, Ontario, Canada

Respiratory Research

🇨🇦

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Hospital Claude Huriez

🇫🇷

Lille Cedex, France

Hospital Cavale Blanche

🇫🇷

Brest, France

Hôpital Louis Pradel

🇫🇷

Lyon, France

Hospital Antoine Beclere

🇫🇷

Clamart, France

Medizinische Hochschule Hannover

🇩🇪

Hannover, Germany

Mater Misericordiae University Hospital Ltd

🇮🇪

Dublin, Ireland

Hadassah Ein-Kerem Medical Center

🇮🇱

Jerusalem, Israel

Tel Hashomer Medical Center

🇮🇱

Ramat Gan, Israel

Rabin Medical Center

🇮🇱

Petach Tikva, Israel

Universita degli Studi Bologna

🇮🇹

Bologna, Italy

Universita "La Sapienza" Roma

🇮🇹

Rome, Italy

National Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Research Institute

🇵🇱

Warsaw, Poland

Hospital Vrije Universiteit

🇳🇱

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Hospital Clinic of Barcelona

🇪🇸

Barcelona, Spain

Papworth Hospital

🇬🇧

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Hospital 12 de Octubre

🇪🇸

Madrid, Spain

Royal Free Hospital

🇬🇧

London, United Kingdom

Freeman Hospital

🇬🇧

Newcastle, United Kingdom

Maine Medical Center

🇺🇸

Portland, Maine, United States

University of Arizona Health Science Center

🇺🇸

Tucson, Arizona, United States

John's Hopkins Hospital

🇺🇸

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Tufts Medical Center

🇺🇸

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

UC Davis Medical Center

🇺🇸

Sacramento, California, United States

Western Infirmary

🇬🇧

Glasgow, United Kingdom

West Los Angeles VA Healthcare Center

🇺🇸

Los Angeles, California, United States

Hospital Valle Hebron

🇪🇸

Barcelona, Spain

Hospital Erasme

🇧🇪

Brussels, Belgium

Toronto General Hospital

🇨🇦

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Vancouver Coastal Health Respiratory Clinic

🇨🇦

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The Alfred Hospital

🇦🇺

Melbourne, Australia

Arizona Pulmonary Specialist

🇺🇸

Phoenix, Arizona, United States

University of Alabama-Birmingham

🇺🇸

Birmingham, Alabama, United States

University of California-San Francisco

🇺🇸

San Francisco, California, United States

The Children's Hospital

🇺🇸

Aurora, Colorado, United States

Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic

🇺🇸

Aurora, Colorado, United States

University of Michigan

🇺🇸

Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

University of Minnesota

🇺🇸

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Mayo Clinic

🇺🇸

Rochester, Minnesota, United States

Duke University Medical Center

🇺🇸

Durham, North Carolina, United States

Legacy Clinic Northwest

🇺🇸

Portland, Oregon, United States

Medical University of South Carolina

🇺🇸

Charleston, South Carolina, United States

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

🇺🇸

Nashville, Tennessee, United States

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

🇺🇸

San Antonio, Texas, United States

Heart Care Associates

🇺🇸

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

Medizinische Universität Innsbruck

🇦🇹

Innsbruck, Austria

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