Comparative Study of Gamma-hydroxy Butyrate Versus Oxazepam in the Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome

GHB

Brief Summary

Benzodiazepines (BDZs) are the gold standard in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS). Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid also known as sodium oxybate (SMO) has been tested as a treatment for AWS with encouraging results. Aim of this phase IV, multicenter randomized double-blind, double dummy study is to evaluate the efficacy of SMO in comparison to oxazepam in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal symptoms (AWS).

Intervention / Treatment

  • Sodium Oxybate (SMO) (DRUG)
    N/A
  • Oxazepam (DRUG)
    N/A

Condition or Disease

  • Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome
  • Alcohol Dependence

Phase

  • Phase 4
  • Study Design

    Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
    Status: Completed
    Study results: No Results Available
    Age: 21 Years to 75 Years
    Enrollment: 127 (ACTUAL)
    Funded by: Other
    Allocation: Randomized
    Primary Purpose: Treatment

    Masking

    QUADRUPLE:
    • Participant
    • Care Provider
    • Investigator
    • Outcomes Assessor

    Clinical Trial Dates

    Start date: Feb 01, 2002
    Primary Completion: Apr 01, 2009 ACTUAL
    Completion Date: May 01, 2009 ACTUAL
    Study First Posted: Mar 18, 2014 ESTIMATED
    Results First Posted: Aug 30, 2020
    Last Updated: Mar 17, 2014

    Sponsors / Collaborators

    Responsible Party: N/A

    This is a phase IV, multicenter randomized (1:1), active drug-controlled study (double-blind, double dummy) with parallel groups evaluating the efficacy of SMO versus oxazepam in the treatment of AWS in alcohol-dependent patients.

    A placebo-controlled design was considered but excluded, given that a gold standard treatment for AWS is available (i.e., BDZs).

    Furthermore, considering that SMO and oxazepam have two different pharmaceutical formulation (suspension and tablets, respectively), a double-dummy design was adopted.

    Thus, all subjects will receive both medications, tablets (oxazepam or placebo) and suspension (SMO or placebo), at the same time.

    Participant Groups

    • Patients randomized to the first arm of the study will receive: * SMO (sodium oxybate 175 mg/ml suspension): 10ml at 8.00 a.m., 10ml at 12.00 p.m., 10ml at 7.00 p.m. from day 1 to day 5, 5ml at 8.00 a.m., 5ml at 12.00 p.m., 5ml at 7.00 pm, on days 6 and 7, and 2.5ml at 8.00 a.m., 2.5 ml at 12.00 p.m., 2.5ml at 7.00 p.m. from day 8 to day 10 (If patient's weight is \> 75 kg the dosage will be of 12ml instead of 10 ml, 6ml instead of 5ml, 3 ml instead of 2.5ml); * placebo (tablets): 1 tablet at 8.00 a.m., 1 tablet at 12.00 p.m., 1 tablet at 7.00 p.m. from day 1 to day 10.

    • Patients randomized to the second arm of the study will receive: * OXAZEPAM (tablets): 60mg at 8.00 a.m., 60mg at 12.00 p.m., 90mg at 7.00 p.m. from day 1 to day 5, 30mg at 8.00 a.m., 30mg at 12.00 p.m., 30mg at 7.00 pm, on days 6 and 7, and 15mg at 8.00 a.m., 15mg at 12.00 p.m., 15mg at 7.00 p.m. from day 8 to day 10; * placebo (suspension): 10ml at 8.00 a.m., 10ml at 12.00 p.m., 10ml at 7.00 p.m. from day 1 to day 5, 5ml at 8.00 a.m., 5ml at 12.00 p.m., 5ml at 7.00 pm, on days 6 and 7, and 2.5ml at 8.00 a.m., 2.5 ml at 12.00 p.m., 2.5ml at 7.00 p.m. from day 8 to day 10, (If patient's weight is \> 75 kg the dosage will be of 12ml instead of 10 ml, 6ml instead of 5ml, 3 ml instead of 2.5ml).

    Eligibility Criteria

    Sex: All
    Minimum Age: 21
    Maximum Age: 75
    Age Groups: Adult / Older Adult
    Healthy Volunteers: Yes

    Inclusion Criteria:

    * age range 21-75,
    * diagnosis of alcohol dependence according to DSM-IV criteria
    * the presence of AWS as assessed by Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol-revised (CIWA-Ar) scale, a scoring system for quantitative evaluation of physical symptoms of AWS.20 Only subjects with a CIWA-Ar score equal to or higher than 10 (defined as moderate or severe AWS requiring pharmacological treatment) were ultimately enrolled in the study.

    Exclusion criteria:

    * ≤55 kg of body weight;
    * history of withdrawal fits within 24 hours pre-study;
    * history of epilepsy or epileptics seizures not properly controlled by established anti-epileptic treatment;
    * dependence from narcotics, BDZs or other drugs of abuse;
    * documented pre-existent hypersensitivity to SMO or to BDZs,
    * renal failure (blood creatinine \>2•5 mg/dl and/or documented proteinuria \>500 mg/die),
    * heart failure,
    * severe respiratory failure
    * hepatic encephalopathy stage II-IV;
    * psychiatric disorders requiring treatment with psychoactive medications before the start of the study;
    * treatment with clonidine, haloperidol, bromocriptine during the last 3 months prior to participation in the study;
    * participation to other clinical investigations in the previous month prior to recruitment;
    * females whose could not assure not to become pregnant during the 1 month period of treatment, and during the subsequent 3 weeks;
    * subjects without a stable social condition or homeless.

    Primary Outcomes
    • The primary outcome was the reduction of symptoms of AWS reflected by the course of the total CIWA-Ar scores from the start (baseline) to the end of the study (day 10) and to the end of follow up (day 20, 10 days after drugs discontinuation).

    Secondary Outcomes
    • Secondary outcome variables included the course of alcohol abstinence. In order to confirm daily alcohol abstinence, a breath analyzer was used. In addition, to define those subjects remaining abstinent throughout the whole treatment period, carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (%CDT) was evaluated at the time of screening and at the end of the treatment period.

    Other Outcomes
    • Assessment of craving for the study drug.

    More Details

    NCT Number: NCT02090504
    Acronym: GATE I
    Other IDs: GATE-I
    Study URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02090504
    Last updated: Sep 29, 2023