Medicinal vs. Orthotic Comparison for Migraine Prevention: A Double-Blind Study

January 18, 2021 updated by: Dr. Sunitha Bharadia, Manhattan Beach Orthodontics
To understand the impacts of using a fixed orthotic facial exercise appliance (BLAfit®) for migraine reduction, as compared to medication (fremanezumab-vfrm) and control.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

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

The investigators will be studying the impacts of using an orthotic facial exercise device (BLAfit®) in the prevention of migraines for those who suffer from roughly 10-15 migraines per month. In order to test the efficacy of this device and its exercise routine, investigators will have one arm of our study receive the BLAfit® device and perform the exercises for one minute daily for three months. In Arm #2, there will be another treatment: Ajovy® (fremanezumab-vfrm) injections- which is a known and commonly practiced clinical prevention treatment for migraine patients. Patients in this arm will receive three injections of Ajovy, which is will be meant to last 3 months. In addition, investigators will have a placebo group that will receive three saline injections, which are meant to mimic the three Ajovy® injections. Arms #2 and #3 of this study will be conducted in a double-blind fashion, as both the clinician providing the injections and the patients receiving the injections will not know if the injecting substance is Ajovy or saline, so as to minimize bias. All patients in all three months will log their number and pain level of their migraines each day for three months. Upon conclusion, they will meet with our in-house neurologist (Principal Investigator & Sponsor) for a final in-person evaluation and questionnaire. Results from the three groups will then be analyzed.

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 (Anticipated)

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.
80

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 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 Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • Manhattan Beach, California, United States, 90266
        • Manhattan Beach Orthodontics
        • Contact:
          • Maryam Bakhtiyari, DDS
          • Phone Number: 310-372-6600

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 55 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Those eligible to participate must be between the ages of 18 to 55 years.
  • The individual must experience at least 2 migraines per week.
  • They must be capable of visiting the medical facility in Manhattan Beach, California where the in-person screening and final evaluation will be conducted (following COVID-19 public health guidelines).
  • They must be able to communicate with the study team via any teleconferencing service such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, or FaceTime.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients must not have any intracranial pathology, neurological or psychological conditions, epilepsy, cancer, any history of chemotherapy, hospitalized for depression, psychiatric conditions, seizures, or tumors.
  • Patients cannot have taken Botox® for migraine treatments.
  • Patients cannot have had a history of head or neck surgery.
  • Patients cannot be taking: propranolol, amitriptyline, flunarizine, topiramate, combination, galcanezumab-gnlm, fremanezumab-vfrm, or erenumab-aooe.
  • Patients must not be deemed a vulnerable subject (including but not limited to: children, prisoners, pregnant women, mentally disabled persons).

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: Non-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.
Experimental: BLAfit® usage
In this arm, subjects will used the fixed orthotic device called BLAfit® for one minute of facial exercise a day for three months.
Device: BLAfit®
Usage of the BLAfit device, a fixed orthotic appliance that allows users to tone facial muscles with one minute usage per day
Other Names:
  • Bella Lip Appliance®
  • BLA®
Experimental: fremanezumab-vfrm
Subjects in this arm will receive three Ajovy® (fremanezumab-vfrm) injections at the start of month 2. This will be conducted in a double-blind fashion, as both the clinician providing the injection, and the subject, will not know if the injection is actually Ajovy® or just saline.
Drug: Fremanezumab-Vfrm
Patients will receive three injections of Ajovy® if in the corresponding arm of the study.
Other Names:
  • Ajovy®
Placebo Comparator: Saline injection
This is a placebo that is used to counter Arm #2- the Ajovy® injections. Subjects in this arm will receive three saline injections at the start of month 2 that will mimic the Ajovy® injections. This will be conducted in a double-blind fashion, as both the clinician providing the injection, and the subject, will not know if the injection is actually Ajovy® or just saline.
Other: Saline
Patients will receive three injections of saline if in the corresponding arm of the study. This is a placebo meant to simulate the Ajovy® injection.
Other Names:
  • salt and water solution

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
Frequency and Pain Level of Migraines Post-Treatment
Time Frame: 4 months after start
The frequency and pain level of subjects' migraines will be assessed upon the conclusion of the study through surveying and comparing to previous survey data.
4 months after start

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.
Manhattan Beach Orthodontics

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: Sunitha Bharadia, MD, Manhattan Beach Orthodontics

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 (Anticipated)

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, 2021

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

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 15, 2021

Study Completion (Anticipated)

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 1, 2021

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).
September 7, 2020

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 7, 2020

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.
September 14, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

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 22, 2021

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 18, 2021

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.
January 1, 2021

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.
  • 0001 (Researcher)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

No

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

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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