Comparative Study of Gamma-hydroxy Butyrate Versus Oxazepam in the Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome (GATE I)

March 17, 2014 updated by: Giovanni Addolorato, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart

The Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid in Alcohol-dependence Treatment Efficacy (GATE) I Trial: a Comparative Study Versus Oxazepam in the Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome

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).

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 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.

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.
127

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 4

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

  • Austria
    • AT
      • Wien, AT, Austria
        • University of Wien
  • Italy
    • BO
      • Bologna, BO, Italy
        • "G. Fontana" Centre for the Study and Multidisciplinary Treatment of Alcohol Addiction, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bologna
    • Rm
      • Rome, Rm, Italy, 00168
        • Catholic University of Rome

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 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

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.

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: 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: Sodium oxybate (SMO)

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.
Drug: Sodium Oxybate (SMO)
Other Names:
  • Gamma-hydroxy butyrate (GHB)
Active Comparator: Oxazepam

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).
Drug: Oxazepam

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
Efficacy of GHB compared to oxazepam on alcohol withdrawal symptoms
Time Frame: day 1, day 10, day 20
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).
day 1, day 10, day 20

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
Course of alcohol abstinence
Time Frame: day 1, day 10, day 20
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.
day 1, day 10, day 20

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
Craving for study drug.
Time Frame: day 1, day 10, day 20
Assessment of craving for the study drug.
day 1, day 10, day 20

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.
Catholic University of the Sacred Heart

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.
Medical University of Vienna
University of Bologna
CT Pharmaceutical Industries, Sanremo - Italy

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: Otto Lesch, MD, Prof., Department of Psychiatry, University of Wien
  • Study Director: Giovanni Addolorato, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, Catholic University of Rome

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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.
February 1, 2002

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.
April 1, 2009

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.
May 1, 2009

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).
March 17, 2014

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.
March 17, 2014

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.
March 18, 2014

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.
March 18, 2014

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.
March 17, 2014

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.
March 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.
  • GATE-I

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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