Cognitive-Behavioral and Pharmacologic (LDX) Treatment of Binge-Eating Disorder and Obesity: Medication Change for Non-Responders

December 16, 2025 updated by: Yale University

Cognitive-Behavioral and Pharmacologic Treatment of Binge-Eating Disorder and Obesity

This study will test the relative efficacy and effectiveness of the combination of naltrexone and bupropion (NB) medication as a treatment for binge-eating disorder (BED) in patients with obesity. This is a controlled test of whether, amongst non-responders to acute treatments, NB medication results in superior outcomes compared with placebo.

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

Obesity is a heterogeneous problem and research has highlighted the particular significance of a subgroup with binge-eating disorder (BED), the most prevalent formal eating disorder. Improved treatments for patients with obesity and BED are needed that can produce sustained clinical outcomes and promote weight loss. This study RCT will provide new and novel findings from a controlled test, amongst non-responders to acute treatments, whether Naltrexone/Bupropion medication results in superior and longer-term outcomes than placebo.

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.
3

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
  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Connecticut
      • New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06510
        • Yale Department of Psychiatry

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

18 years to 64 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 18 to 64 years old
  • Meets DSM-5 criteria for binge-eating disorder
  • BMI 27-30 with a controlled obesity-related co-morbidity; or BMI ≥ 30 and <50
  • Medically cleared as determined by EKG and medical record review
  • Available for the duration of the treatment and follow-up (18 months)
  • Read, comprehend, and write English at a sufficient level to complete study-related materials
  • Able to travel to study location (New Haven, CT) for weekly visits

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Previous history of problems with LDX or other stimulants
  • Current psychostimulant use or use of any medication for ADHD
  • Current use of study medications: LDX (Vyvanse), Bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban), Naltrexone, or Contrave
  • History of congenital heart disease, known structural cardiac abnormalities, cardiomyopathy, serious heart arrhythmia, coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular pathology including stroke, exertional chest pain, uncontrolled high blood pressure, and other serious heart problems.
  • History of severe renal, hepatic, neurological, or chronic pulmonary disease or other serious, unstable medical disorder.
  • Current uncontrolled hypertension
  • Current uncontrolled type I or II diabetes mellitus
  • Current uncontrolled thyroid illness
  • Gallbladder disease
  • Co-occurring severe mental illness requiring hospitalization or intensive treatment
  • Endorses current active suicidal or homicidal ideation with intent or plan
  • History or current alcohol or substance use disorder (smoking is not exclusionary)
  • Predisposition to seizures
  • History of anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, or currently regularly self-inducing vomiting
  • Currently taking MAOI, SSRI or strong inhibitors of CYP2D6
  • History of allergy or sensitivity to the study medication or stimulant medications
  • Current use of medications contraindicated with the study medications
  • Currently breast feeding or pregnant, or not willing to use reliable form of contraception
  • Currently taking opioid pain medications or drugs
  • Currently using effective treatment (evidence-based therapeutic or psychopharmacologic) for eating and/or weight loss
  • Currently participating in another clinical study in which the participant is or will be exposed to an investigational or a non-investigational drug or device
  • Medical status judged by study physician as contraindication

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.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Other: Placebo
Participants randomly assigned to this arm will receive 12 weeks of an inactive placebo.
Experimental: Naltrexone/Bupropion
Drug: Naltrexone and Bupropion
Participants randomly assigned to this arm will receive 12 weeks of Naltrexone and Bupropion medication.

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
Change in Binge-Eating Frequency
Time Frame: From baseline interview at study enrollment to 3 months after the 12-week treatment.
Binge-eating frequency is a continuous variable of binge-eating episodes assessed using interview (Eating Disorder Examination interview). The Eating Disorder Examination uses a 28 day recall of eating behavior. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM -5) defines binge-eating as "eating, in a discrete period of time an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat during a similar period of time and under similar circumstances and a sense of loss of control over eating during the episode." The number of episodes that meet this description will be counted and totaled.
From baseline interview at study enrollment to 3 months after the 12-week treatment.
Change in Binge-Eating Frequency
Time Frame: From post-treatment to the 6-month follow-up
Binge-eating frequency is a continuous variable of binge-eating episodes assessed using interview (Eating Disorder Examination interview). The Eating Disorder Examination uses a 28 day recall of eating behavior. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM -5) defines binge-eating as "eating, in a discrete period of time an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat during a similar period of time and under similar circumstances and a sense of loss of control over eating during the episode." The number of episodes that meet this description will be counted and totaled.
From post-treatment to the 6-month follow-up
Change in Binge-Eating Frequency
Time Frame: From post-treatment to the 12-month follow-up
Binge-eating frequency is a continuous variable of binge-eating episodes assessed using interview (Eating Disorder Examination interview). The Eating Disorder Examination uses a 28 day recall of eating behavior. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM -5) defines binge-eating as "eating, in a discrete period of time an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat during a similar period of time and under similar circumstances and a sense of loss of control over eating during the episode." The number of episodes that meet this description will be counted and totaled.
From post-treatment to the 12-month follow-up
Percent Change in Weight
Time Frame: From baseline interview at study enrollment to 3 months after the 12-week treatment.
Negative values indicate weight loss and positive values indicate weight gain.
From baseline interview at study enrollment to 3 months after the 12-week treatment.
Percent Change in Weight
Time Frame: From post-treatment to the 6-month follow-up
Negative values indicate weight loss and positive values indicate weight gain.
From post-treatment to the 6-month follow-up
Percent Change in Weight
Time Frame: From post-treatment to the 12-month follow-up
Negative values indicate weight loss and positive values indicate weight gain.
From post-treatment to the 12-month follow-up

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
Binge-Eating Remission
Time Frame: 12-weeks
Categorical: zero binges/28 days
12-weeks
Binge-Eating Remission
Time Frame: 6-month follow-up
Categorical: zero binges/28 days
6-month follow-up
Binge-Eating Remission
Time Frame: 12-month follow-up
Categorical: zero binges/28 days
12-month follow-up
Change in Eating-Disorder Psychopathology (Continuous)
Time Frame: From post-treatment to the 6-month follow-up
Eating-disorder psychopathology is a continuous variable as assessed by the global score of the Eating Disorder Examination/Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire. Scores range from 0-6 (0=no eating-disorder psychopathology; 6=severe eating-disorder psychopathology).
From post-treatment to the 6-month follow-up
Change in Eating-Disorder Psychopathology (Continuous)
Time Frame: From post-treatment to the 12-month follow-up
Eating-disorder psychopathology is a continuous variable as assessed by the global score of the Eating Disorder Examination/Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire. Scores range from 0-6 (0=no eating-disorder psychopathology; 6=severe eating-disorder psychopathology).
From post-treatment to the 12-month follow-up
Change in Depressive Symptoms
Time Frame: From baseline interview at study enrollment to 3 months after the 12-week treatment.
Depressive symptoms is a continuous variable of depressive symptomatology as assessed by the self-report measure, the Beck Depression Inventory - Second Edition. Scores range from 0-63 (0=no depressive symptoms, 63=greater depressive symptoms).
From baseline interview at study enrollment to 3 months after the 12-week treatment.
Change in Depressive Symptoms
Time Frame: From post-treatment to the 6-month follow-up
Depressive symptoms is a continuous variable of depressive symptomatology as assessed by the self-report measure, the Beck Depression Inventory - Second Edition. Scores range from 0-63 (0=no depressive symptoms, 63=greater depressive symptoms).
From post-treatment to the 6-month follow-up
Change in Depressive Symptoms
Time Frame: From post-treatment to the 12-month follow-up
Depressive symptoms is a continuous variable of depressive symptomatology as assessed by the self-report measure, the Beck Depression Inventory - Second Edition. Scores range from 0-63 (0=no depressive symptoms, 63=greater depressive symptoms).
From post-treatment to the 12-month follow-up
Change in Eating-Disorder Psychopathology (Continuous)
Time Frame: From baseline interview at study enrollment to 3 months after the 12-week treatment.
Eating-disorder psychopathology is assessed by the global score of the Eating Disorder Examination/Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire. Scores range from 0-6 (0=no eating-disorder psychopathology; 6=severe eating-disorder psychopathology).
From baseline interview at study enrollment to 3 months after the 12-week treatment.

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.
Yale University

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.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

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: Carlos M Grilo, Ph.D., Yale University

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 (Actual)

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.
August 7, 2019

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.
December 5, 2024

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.
December 5, 2024

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).
April 22, 2019

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 9, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

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 10, 2019

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

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 9, 2026

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.
December 16, 2025

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, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • 2000022480_a
  • 1R01DK114075-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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