Trial Outcomes & Findings for A Study on the Biobehavioral Mechanisms of Baclofen and Alcohol Drinking (NCT NCT01076283)

NCT ID: NCT01076283

Last Updated: 2013-10-17

Results Overview

Whether baclofen, as compared to active placebo, results in diminished cue-reactivity responses to alcohol cues in terms of urge to drink \[as measured by the Alcohol Urge Questionnaire (AUQ)\] during the Cue Reactivity. The Alcohol Urge Questionnaire (AUQ) consists of eight statements about the respondent's feelings and thoughts about drinking as they are completing the questionnaire (i.e., right now). The respondent is asked to respond to each statement about alcohol craving via a 7-item Likert scale ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree." Each item is scored on a 1 to 7 scale (Strongly Disagree = 1 and Strongly Agree = 7). Items 2 and 7 are reverse scored. A total score is computed by summing the item scores and ranges from 8 (lowest craving value) to 56 (highest craving value). Higher scores reflect greater craving (i.e. worse outcome).

Recruitment status

COMPLETED

Study phase

PHASE2

Target enrollment

14 participants

Primary outcome timeframe

approximately 8 days after drug administration

Results posted on

2013-10-17

Participant Flow

Potential participants came for an in-person screening (Visit 1) at the Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies (CAAS). At Visit 2 (day 1), participants were randomized to either baclofen or active placebo by using a 3-urn variable procedure (Stout et al., 1994), i.e. gender, FH of alcoholism and baseline drinks per drinking day.

19 participants signed the consent document; 5 of them did not satisfy the protocol-specific inclusion/exclusion criteria, therefore they were excluded from the trial. The remaining 14 subjects were assigned to the study groups.

Participant milestones

Participant milestones
Measure
Baclofen
Baclofen 10 mg three times a day (t.i.d.) for 8-10 days
Cyproheptadine
Cyproheptadine 2 mg t.i.d. for 8-10 days
Overall Study
STARTED
7
7
Overall Study
COMPLETED
6
7
Overall Study
NOT COMPLETED
1
0

Reasons for withdrawal

Withdrawal data not reported

Baseline Characteristics

A Study on the Biobehavioral Mechanisms of Baclofen and Alcohol Drinking

Baseline characteristics by cohort

Baseline characteristics by cohort
Measure
Baclofen
n=7 Participants
Baclofen 10 mg three times a day (t.i.d.) for 8-10 days
Cyproheptadine
n=7 Participants
Cyproheptadine 2 mg t.i.d. for 8-10 days
Total
n=14 Participants
Total of all reporting groups
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
7 Participants
n=5 Participants
7 Participants
n=7 Participants
14 Participants
n=5 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
2 Participants
n=5 Participants
2 Participants
n=7 Participants
4 Participants
n=5 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
5 Participants
n=5 Participants
5 Participants
n=7 Participants
10 Participants
n=5 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
7 participants
n=5 Participants
7 participants
n=7 Participants
14 participants
n=5 Participants

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: approximately 8 days after drug administration

Whether baclofen, as compared to active placebo, results in diminished cue-reactivity responses to alcohol cues in terms of urge to drink \[as measured by the Alcohol Urge Questionnaire (AUQ)\] during the Cue Reactivity. The Alcohol Urge Questionnaire (AUQ) consists of eight statements about the respondent's feelings and thoughts about drinking as they are completing the questionnaire (i.e., right now). The respondent is asked to respond to each statement about alcohol craving via a 7-item Likert scale ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree." Each item is scored on a 1 to 7 scale (Strongly Disagree = 1 and Strongly Agree = 7). Items 2 and 7 are reverse scored. A total score is computed by summing the item scores and ranges from 8 (lowest craving value) to 56 (highest craving value). Higher scores reflect greater craving (i.e. worse outcome).

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Baclofen
n=6 Participants
Baclofen 10 mg three times a day (t.i.d.) for 8-10 days
Cyproheptadine
n=7 Participants
Cyproheptadine 2 mg t.i.d. for 8-10 days
Alcohol Urge
22.5 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 11.4
19.4 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 19.6

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: approximately 8 days after drug administration

Whether baclofen, as compared to active placebo, results in lower quantity of alcohol consumed during the Alcohol Self-Administration (ASA). Consistent with O'Malley et al. 2002, the ASA paradigm allows to use a fixed-dose (the priming drink), followed by a 2-hour "free-choice" phase when subjects may choose to drink or not up to 8 mini-drinks. Participants receive a monetary compensation of $3 dollars per each mini-drink not consumed; therefore the amount of minidrinks consumed during the 2-hour sessions ranges 0-8, and the monetary compensation ranges $0-24. The quantity of alcohol consumed during the free-choice session is expressed as "standard drinking unit", where a standard drink unit contains about 14 grams of pure alcohol (about 0.6 fluid ounces or 1.2 tablespoons).

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Baclofen
n=6 Participants
Baclofen 10 mg three times a day (t.i.d.) for 8-10 days
Cyproheptadine
n=7 Participants
Cyproheptadine 2 mg t.i.d. for 8-10 days
Alcohol Drinking
0.17 standard drinking units
Standard Deviation 0.41
1.43 standard drinking units
Standard Deviation 2.30

Adverse Events

Baclofen

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 6 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Cyproheptadine

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 3 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Serious adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Other adverse events

Other adverse events
Measure
Baclofen
n=7 participants at risk
Baclofen 10 mg three times a day (t.i.d.) for 8-10 days
Cyproheptadine
n=7 participants at risk
Cyproheptadine 2 mg t.i.d. for 8-10 days
Nervous system disorders
sleepness
28.6%
2/7
14.3%
1/7
Renal and urinary disorders
increased urination
14.3%
1/7
0.00%
0/7
Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
cramps
14.3%
1/7 • Number of events 2
0.00%
0/7
Gastrointestinal disorders
constipation
0.00%
0/7
14.3%
1/7
Renal and urinary disorders
yellow urine
0.00%
0/7
14.3%
1/7
Nervous system disorders
sedation
42.9%
3/7
28.6%
2/7
Gastrointestinal disorders
diarrhea
14.3%
1/7
0.00%
0/7
Reproductive system and breast disorders
loss of libido
14.3%
1/7
0.00%
0/7
Gastrointestinal disorders
nausea
14.3%
1/7
0.00%
0/7
Nervous system disorders
insomnia
14.3%
1/7
0.00%
0/7
Nervous system disorders
irritability
14.3%
1/7
0.00%
0/7
Gastrointestinal disorders
flatulence
14.3%
1/7
0.00%
0/7
Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
neck pain
14.3%
1/7
0.00%
0/7
General disorders
dental pain
0.00%
0/7
14.3%
1/7
Gastrointestinal disorders
stomachache
14.3%
1/7
0.00%
0/7
Nervous system disorders
foggy
14.3%
1/7
0.00%
0/7
Nervous system disorders
'high'
14.3%
1/7
0.00%
0/7

Additional Information

Lorenzo Leggio, MD

Brown University

Phone: 401-863-1000

Results disclosure agreements

  • Principal investigator is a sponsor employee
  • Publication restrictions are in place