Efficacy of a Topical Palmitated Formulation of Capsaicin (Capsadyn®) In the Treatment of Diabetic Neuropathic Foot Pain

April 15, 2026 updated by: Carilion Clinic

A Double-Blind, Randomized, Pilot Study to Investigate the Efficacy of a Topical Palmitated Formulation of Capsaicin (Capsadyn®) In the Treatment of Diabetic Neuropathic Foot Pain

The purpose of this research is to assess whether the use of a topical cream with an active ingredient can reduce the amount of foot pain experienced in participants who have been diagnosed with Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN) with minimal side effects or discomfort from use.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
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

This is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with two arms to assess the pain-reducing effects of topical Capsadyn compared to a placebo (carrier cream). At the appointment/recruitment visit, patients will receive standard of care as determined by their clinician. At the first visit, participants opting into the trial will not receive any new medications designed for producing pain relief alongside the Test Article but will continue medications taken before entry to the study, if use history is stable, or medications not specifically designed for pain reduction. Both the clinician administering the Test Article and the participant will be blinded to Test Article, or unaware of whether it is Capsadyn or placebo.

A Test article can be administered to either a unilateral area, or bilateral painful areas. Test Article should be administered over the complete painful area. Test Articles will be packaged in coded, white-labeled one-ounce plastic jars, marked only with a code indicating Capsadyn or placebo, and sent to Carilion Pharmacy for distribution to healthcare providers. The pharmacy will quarantine the Test Articles and randomize Test Article scheduling between the two arms. The participant population will be scheduled for an even split between the two study arms. With the recruitment of 40 participants (20 per group), an interim look at the data will be done to assess participant compliance with instructions, general progress of the study and to troubleshoot any issues that may have arisen.

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 (Estimated)

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.
  • Early Phase 1

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
    • Virginia
      • Roanoke, Virginia, United States, 24016
        • Recruiting
        • Carilion Clinic
        • Contact:
          • Internal Medicine
          • Phone Number: 540-224-5170
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Robert Carpenter, MD

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • At least 3 toes per foot
  • Have otherwise intact feet.
  • Absence of any eczema, hyperkeratosis, scleroderma, or other dermatological conditions afflicting the area of Test Article administration that may interfere with absorption, particularly hyperhidrosis.
  • Must agree to apply the Test Article to painful areas of feet as directed by research personnel.
  • Must agree to apply the Test Article to feet as instructed 2x per day.
  • Must wait 60 minutes after each application of Test Article before filling out NRS forms.
  • Unless burning is encountered soon after application, the participant must wait at least 60 minutes before washing feet after application of Test Article.
  • All participants must be willing to use Test Articles blinded.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Younger than 25 and older than 75 years of age
  • Any dermatological condition(s) with the potential to disrupt skin integrity or alter sensory function of the feet.
  • Any open wounds, skin ulceration, infection, skin irritation (e.g., poison oak), history of eczema, trauma or burn (including sunburn) affecting the feet within 30 days.
  • Any recent medical history of surgery affecting the feet.
  • Unless part of a stable continuum of substance use prior to start of study, the use of any topical medication products on feet, including holistic formulations, patch or herbal products, cannabinoid products, prescription or over the-counter (OTC) analgesic creams/lotions/patches/gels, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, counterirritants, local anesthetics, or steroids is prohibited.
  • Current substance abuse.
  • History of hypersensitivity or allergy to chili peppers, coconut oil, Shea butter, or sunflower seed oil.
  • Except for interventions for mobility, (e.g., physical therapy, exercise, grounding) no concurrent foot therapy for pain that may interfere with NRS evaluations is permitted (e.g., massage, electrophoresis, red light, etc.).
  • No concurrent enrollment in another clinical trial.

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: Capsadyn Arm
participant will receive an over-the-counter topical cream with .25% capsaicin palmitate
Drug: Capsaicin Palmitate
Participant will apply a small amount of topical cream (size of a quarter) to one or both feet twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.
Other Names:
  • Capsadyn
Placebo Comparator: Placebo Arm
participant will receive an over-the counter topical cream with no active ingredient
Drug: Placebo
Participant will apply a small amount of topical cream (size of a quarter) to one or both feet twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.
Other Names:
  • OTC topical cream

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
Significant reduction in foot pain in participants with chronic diabetic neuropathic foot pain.
Time Frame: A NRS will be completed by the participant twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, for 14 days after each application of the topical cream provided

Participants will complete a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) twice a day for 14 days one hour after applying topical cream to the area of their foot where they are experiencing Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy foot pain. Participants will not be aware of whether the topical cream applied includes capsaicin palmitate. The NRS rates the intensity of symptoms with a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 being no symptom present to 10 being the worst possible intensity. The symptoms being assessed include redness, irritation, itching, tingling, and a burning or cooling sensation one hour after applying the topical cream.

Study investigators will review the variances in the NRS ratings throughout the duration of the 14 days of all participants and report any changes from baseline scores. Data will be analyzed using one-way repeated measures ANOVA, followed by the Mann-Whitney U post-hoc test. Data will be visualized as box-and-whisker plots, comparing Capsadyn to placebo.
A NRS will be completed by the participant twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, for 14 days after each application of the topical cream provided

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.
Carilion Clinic

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: Robert Carpenter, MD, Carilion Clinic

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.
November 26, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
November 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
November 1, 2027

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).
November 20, 2025

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.
December 1, 2025

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.
December 3, 2025

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.
April 20, 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.
April 15, 2026

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.
April 1, 2026

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.
  • IRB-25-2072

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

Yes

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.

Clinical Trials on Diabetic Foot

Clinical Trials on Capsaicin Palmitate

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