Use of Kudzu Extract in the Study of Its Ability to Reduce Alcohol Drinking in Treatment Seeking Alcohol Dependent Persons

October 6, 2015 updated by: David M. Penetar, Mclean Hospital
This research is designed to assess if problem drinking by treatment seeking individuals can be treated (reduced) by kudzu extract pharmacotherapy plus medical management therapy.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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Withdrawn

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

Men and women participants, ages 21-60 yrs old and seeking treatment for their drinking, but otherwise physically and mentally healthy, will be recruited. Participants must meet criteria for heavy drinking* and either Alcohol Abuse or Alcohol Dependence according to DSM-IV criteria. Following a baseline period, participants will be randomized to take either kudzu extract or placebo for 10 weeks, and record and report their alcohol consumption. All participants will receive weekly medical management sessions with the study physician.

*Heavy Drinking according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (2007) is more than 4 drinks per day and more than 14 drinks per week for men; and for women, more than 3 drinks per day and more than 7 drinks per week.

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

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.
  • Phase 2

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
    • Massachusetts
      • Belmont, Massachusetts, United States, 02478
        • McLean Hospital, Behavioral Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory

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

21 years to 60 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Treatment seeking for alcohol abuse or dependence.
  • Non cigarette smokers are preferred, but will accept those who smoke less than 10 cigarettes per day.
  • Marijuana use of less than once per week. Other drug use less than 20 lifetime uses.
  • Absence of current Axis I disorders except alcohol abuse or dependence. Past diagnosis (greater than 1 year) is acceptable.
  • BMI within 18-30.
  • Physically healthy (normal physical exam, ECG, blood and urine chemistries).
  • Female participants must use medically approved method of contraception. If barrier method is used, must agree to using two methods simultaneously (e.g., diaphragm and condom).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Taking any prescription medication (except oral contraceptives, certain short term anti -fungal agents and some topical creams for dermal conditions).
  • On psychotropic medications.
  • Drug use (other than nicotine, alcohol or marijuana) greater than 20 lifetime uses.
  • Meets criteria for current drug abuse or dependence (other than alcohol and nicotine). Past abuse/dependence (greater than 3 years) is acceptable.
  • History of major head trauma.
  • History of cardiac problems.
  • Pregnancy, lactating, or planning to become pregnant during the study period.

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 Assignment
  • Masking: Double

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.
Active Comparator: Kudzu extract
Participants will take two 500-mg capsules of Kudzu extract, t.i.d. (morning, 6:00 to 8:30 a.m.; afternoon, 2:00 to 4:30 p.m.; evening, 9:00 to 11:30 p.m.).
Drug: Kudzu extract
Behavioral: Medical Management
Medical Management is a manualized treatment deriving from a number of empirically tested manualized therapies designed to approximate a primary care approach to alcohol dependence. The treatment, delivered by a medical professional (i.e., nurse or physician), monitors medication side effects, provides strategies to increase medication adherence and supports abstinence through psychoeducation and referral to groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous. The visits allow for assessments of drinking, overall functioning, medication adherence, and side effects. Also at one of these weekly visits, a blood sample will be taken for liver function tests (GGT, ALT, AST). Samples will be further analyzed for two measures of heavy drinking: carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT) and phosphatidylethanol (PEth).
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Placebo capsule contains sugar beet filler. Participants will take two 500-mg capsules, t.i.d. (morning, 6:00 to 8:30 a.m.; afternoon, 2:00 to 4:30 p.m.; evening, 9:00 to 11:30 p.m.).
Drug: Placebo
Behavioral: Medical Management
Medical Management is a manualized treatment deriving from a number of empirically tested manualized therapies designed to approximate a primary care approach to alcohol dependence. The treatment, delivered by a medical professional (i.e., nurse or physician), monitors medication side effects, provides strategies to increase medication adherence and supports abstinence through psychoeducation and referral to groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous. The visits allow for assessments of drinking, overall functioning, medication adherence, and side effects. Also at one of these weekly visits, a blood sample will be taken for liver function tests (GGT, ALT, AST). Samples will be further analyzed for two measures of heavy drinking: carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT) and phosphatidylethanol (PEth).

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
Time Frame
Percentage of heavy drinking days
Time Frame: 10 weeks
10 weeks

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.
Mclean Hospital

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: David M. Penetar, Ph.D., McLean Hospital

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.
March 1, 2014

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.
September 1, 2015

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).
May 10, 2013

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.
May 10, 2013

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.
May 14, 2013

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.
October 7, 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.
October 6, 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.
October 1, 2015

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.
  • P-000727

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.

Clinical Trials on Alcohol Dependence

Clinical Trials on Placebo

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings