Ethosuximide to Treat IBS

NCT ID: NCT02973542

Last Updated: 2023-01-06

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: UNKNOWN
• Clinical Phase: PHASE2
• Total Enrollment: 162 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2018-04-30
• Study Completion Date: 2023-05-31

Brief Summary

Abdominal pain remains the most deleterious symptom for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and is causing a significant alteration of their quality of life. The visceral hypersensitivity seems to be one of the key mechanisms that could explain the abdominal pain in these patients. Current treatments, mainly symptomatic, are of limited effectiveness, especially in terms of relief of abdominal pain. The study will aim to evaluate the effectiveness of ethosuximide on abdominal pain in patients with IBS, its tolerance and its impact on patient quality of life, severity of symptoms related to IBS and the use of analgesics / antispasmodic / regulators transit.

Detailed Description

The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is characterized by a combination of discomfort and / or abdominal pain and bowel habits in the absence of identifiable organic pathology. This condition is extremely common because it is the first cause of consultation in gastroenterology and would cover 10-15% of the French. This chronic condition, although functional, impact significantly on the quality of life of patients and causes considerable health spending, making it a major public health problem. Especially as the currently used treatments are of limited effectiveness.

Among the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in IBS, visceral hypersensitivity (VHS) seems to be a major factor causing pain in patients. VHS involves sensitization of colonic nerve fibers, resulting in an increase of neuronal excitability. In several animal models of chronic pain, this hyperexcitability was related to a change in the expression or activity of ion channels, including calcium channel Cav3.2.

Investigators especially shown the involvement of Cav3.2 channels in visceral pain in an animal model of VHS. Furthermore, overexpression of these channels at the peripheral level (dorsal root ganglion innervating the colon) has been demonstrated in this animal model and pharmacological blockade, including ethosuximide, prevented the development of the VHS. Note that Cav3.2 channels have been widely demonstrated as involved in nociceptive phenomena in various animal models of chronic pain and that by blocking their ethosuximide induce an analgesic effect in these models.

Finally, we have recently demonstrated the involvement of Cav3.2 channel in patients with IBS, in a clinical case-control study. The Cav3.2 channels were overexpressed in the colonic mucosa of patients with IBS compared to asymptomatic controls.

The Cav3.2 channels are therefore a potential pharmacological target and ethosuximide a promising therapy to effectively treat the abdominal pain associated with IBS.

Conditions

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

ethosuximide

A responder will correspond to a decrease in abdominal pain score (11-points NRS pain) of at least 30% compared to the score before treatment and a score of 6 or 7 on the SGA scale. At endpoint (12-weeks treatment period), it will be compared the responder rate between the 2 treatment arms (ethosuximide vs placebo).

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Ethosuximide

Intervention Type: DRUG

The study will aim to evaluate the effectiveness of ethosuximide on abdominal pain in patients with IBS, its tolerance and its impact on patient quality of life, severity of symptoms related to IBS and the use of analgesics / antispasmodic / regulators transit.

placebo

A responder will correspond to a decrease in abdominal pain score (11-points NRS pain) of at least 30% compared to the score before treatment and a score of 6 or 7 on the SGA scale. At endpoint (12-weeks treatment period), it will be compared the responder rate between the 2 treatment arms (ethosuximide vs placebo).

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo

Intervention Type: OTHER

The study will aim to evaluate the effectiveness of ethosuximide on abdominal pain in patients with IBS, its tolerance and its impact on patient quality of life, severity of symptoms related to IBS and the use of analgesics / antispasmodic / regulators transit.

Interventions

Ethosuximide

The study will aim to evaluate the effectiveness of ethosuximide on abdominal pain in patients with IBS, its tolerance and its impact on patient quality of life, severity of symptoms related to IBS and the use of analgesics / antispasmodic / regulators transit.

Intervention Type: DRUG

Placebo

The study will aim to evaluate the effectiveness of ethosuximide on abdominal pain in patients with IBS, its tolerance and its impact on patient quality of life, severity of symptoms related to IBS and the use of analgesics / antispasmodic / regulators transit.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Age ≥ 18 years,

• Man,
• Women, Negative pregnancy test and effective contraception,
• IBS defined by the Rome criteria IV
• During the previous seven days the inclusion visit, average NRS pain ≥ 4,
• IBS Treatment stable for 1 month
• Patients affiliated to the French Social Security,
• Patients with the informed consent were obtained.

Exclusion Criteria

• Breastfeeding
• Diabetic patients
• Known renal or hepatic impairment,
• Significant liver function abnormalities (transaminases> 3N, cholestasis) and renal (MDRD <60 ml / min)
• Addiction to alcohol and / or drugs,
• AEDs taken (epilepsy or chronic pain)
• chronic pain of greater intensity than that related to IBS,
• Allergy succinimides (ethosuximide, methsuximide, phensuximide)
• History or current severe depression (hospitalization, long-term antidepressant treatment)
• Psychotic disorders,
• Patients exclusion period, or total exceeded authorized allowances
• Patients undergoing a measure of legal protection (trusteeship, guardianship ...).

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

SFETD (Socièté Française d'Etude et de Traitement de la Douleur)

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Julien SCANZI, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand

Locations

CHU Clermont-Ferrand

Clermont-Ferrand, , France

Countries

France

References

Kerckhove N, Scanzi J, Pereira B, Ardid D, Dapoigny M. Assessment of the effectiveness and safety of ethosuximide in the treatment of abdominal pain related to irritable bowel syndrome - IBSET: protocol of a randomised, parallel, controlled, double-blind and multicentre trial. BMJ Open. 2017 Jul 18;7(7):e015380. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015380.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 28720615 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

2016-002110-42

Identifier Type: OTHER

Identifier Source: secondary_id

CHU-289

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id