Vilazodone for Menopausal Hot Flashes

January 13, 2015 updated by: Ellen Freeman, University of Pennsylvania

Vilazodone for Menopausal Hot Flashes: A Proof in Principle Study

This is a pilot study to determine proof in principle that vilazodone, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and 5HT1a agonist, reduces the frequency and severity of menopausal hot flashes relative to placebo. A secondary aim is to evaluate improvement in menopause-related quality of life.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This is a proposal to conduct a small clinical trial for proof in principle that vilazodone reduces the frequency and severity of menopausal hot flashes. An additional exploratory aim is to identify improvement in menopause-related quality of life. Healthy, perimenopausal women ages 45-60 with an average of 4 or more moderate or severe hot flashes/night sweats per day for 3 screening weeks will be randomized to 8 weeks of treatment in a 2:1 ratio of vilazodone or matching placebo pills. Flexible dosing of vilazodone will start at 10 mg once/day for 7 days, increase to 20 mg/day for 1 more week and increase to 40 mg once/day at week 3 if unimproved. The primary outcome assessments are the frequency and severity of hot flashes at week 4 and week 8 as assessed by prospective daily diaries (using 7-day mean scores from the daily diaries). The secondary outcome is clinical improvement, defined as hot flash frequency >=50% decrease from baseline. Treatment-emergent adverse events will be monitored and patient ratings of tolerability will be obtained.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
36

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
        • Dept OB/GYN, Mudd Professorship Suite

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

45 years to 60 years (ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Women ages 45-60 years
  • Amenorrhea for 60 days or more or postmenopausal or bi-lateral oophorectomy.
  • 4 or more moderate or severe hot flashes or night sweats per 24 hour period (28/week) as recorded on daily diaries in 3 screening weeks.
  • Hot flashes/night sweats rated as moderate to severe and/or bothersome (moderately to a lot) on 4 or more days/nights in each screen week.
  • In general good health.
  • Signed informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Psychotropic medications currently or within the last 30 days.
  • Current use of hormonal medications such as hormone therapy or hormonal contraception or any treatment for hot flashes (Prescription, over-the-counter or herbal).
  • Drug or alcohol abuse in the past year.
  • Lifetime diagnosis of psychosis or bipolar disorder.
  • Suicide attempt in the past 3 years or any current suicidal ideation.
  • Current major depression.
  • Not using a medically approved, non-hormonal method of birth control if sexually active and not postmenopausal (12 or more months since last menstrual period or bi-lateral oophorectomy).
  • Pregnancy, intending pregnancy or breast feeding.
  • Any severe of unstable medical illness, e.g., breast or ovarian cancer, seizure disorders, etc.
  • Current participation in another intervention study.
  • Inability or unwillingness to complete study procedures.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
  • Allocation: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: QUADRUPLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: experimental 1
vilazodone (viibryd). 20 mg or 40 mg/day for 8 weeks
Drug: vilazodone
capsules once/day for 8 weeks. Dose starts at 10 mg for 7 days, increases to 20 mg/day for 7 days, increases to 40 mg/day at week 3 of unimproved.
Other Names:
  • viibryd
Placebo Comparator: placebo capsules (sugar pill)
Placebo capsules matched to the drug dose for 8 weeks
Drug: placebo capsules
placebo capsules matched to drug capsules.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Daily Diary Ratings of Frequency of Hot Flashes
Time Frame: Week 8.
Hot flash frequency and severity will be recorded daily in the am and pm on a scale of 0 (none) to 3 (severe). The frequency of hot flashes was the number reported.
Week 8.
Daily Diary Ratings of Severity of Hot Flashes
Time Frame: Week 8.
Hot flash severity will be recorded daily in the am and pm on a scale of 0 (none) to 3 (severe). The frequency of hot flashes was the number reported. The severity of hot flashes was rated on a scale of 0 (none) to 3 (severe). 7-day averages were calculated for baseline, week 4 and week 8 and a mean daily score was obtained for analysis. Baseline values were the means of the first 2 screen weeks. Possible range of the severity scale for the daily mean was 0 (none) to 3 (severe).
Week 8.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Percent of Patients With >=50% Reduction in Moderate to Severe Hot Flashes
Time Frame: Percent change from baseline at Week 8
Percent of patients with n >=50% reduction in frequency of moderate to severe hot flashes calculated from daily diaries
Percent change from baseline at Week 8
Menopause-related Quality of Life (MENQOL)
Time Frame: Week 8
The MENQOL is a validated measure to assess the presence and bother of menopausal symptoms. This will be exploratory. Each of 29 items is rated on a scale of 0 to 6 (extremely bothersome). The items are divided into 4 subscales. The item scores are summed in each subscale and means are computed for the 4 subscales. The total score is the sum of the mean subscale scores. Higher scores are more symptomatic.
Week 8

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of Participants With Adverse Events
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 12
A 17 item checklist of general adverse and withdrawal symptoms. It will be used at baseline and Week 12. Adverse events will be obtained by subject report at Week 4 and Week 8.
Baseline and Week 12
Percentage of Participants That Were Satisfied or Very Satisfied
Time Frame: Week 8
Patient global rating of satisfaction with medication reported on a scale of 0 to 5 (very satisfied).
Week 8
Sheehan Global Ratings of Symptom (Hot Flash)Interference
Time Frame: Change from Baseline at Week 8
Global ratings on a 10-point scale of the degree that symptoms interfere overall, with work, social activities and family life.
Change from Baseline at Week 8

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Pennsylvania

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Forest Laboratories

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 1, 2013

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 28, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 6, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 7, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
January 14, 2015

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 13, 2015

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
December 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 816164

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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