Propionic Acid for Multiple Sclerosis: Safety and Benefits (Pro-MADAI)

May 12, 2026 updated by: Tobias Moser, Salzburger Landeskliniken

Propionic Acid in Multiple Sclerosis: Safety, Tolerability and Clinical Outcomes From the Pro-MADAI Study

The purpose of this study is to explore the long-term safety, tolerability, and clinical efficacy of propionic acid as an add-on therapy in multiple sclerosis (MS).

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 study is a prospective, open-label extension of the placebo-controlled MADAI trial, including 22 patients with stable relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Participants received oral PA (500 mg twice daily) for an additional 9 months follow-up (FU). Multimodal assessments included cognitive testing (SDMT), physical performance (9HPT, 10mWT), patient-reported outcome measurements PROMs (SF-36, FSMC, ESS, BDI-II), and serum NfL analysis.

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.
22

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 Locations

  • Austria
    • State of Salzburg
      • Salzburg, State of Salzburg, Austria, 5020
        • Salzburger Landeskliniken

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:

  • Diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Clinically and radiologically stable MS in the previous 3 months
  • Age between 18 and 70 years
  • Positive finding for oligoclonal bands (OCBs)
  • Written consent
  • Blood collection at the beginning and end of the study for routine parameter examination as well as sample preservation (especially for measuring propionic acid levels)
  • Negative pregnancy test for female participants of childbearing age

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of ongoing propionic acid (PA) supplementation exceeding 3 months
  • Positive JC virus titer during natalizumab treatment
  • Presence of severe active systemic disease
  • Presence of acute neurological conditions

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: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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: Propionic acid 1000 mg
Dietary supplement: Propionic acid 1000 mg capsule
Patients will receive propionic acid as add on MS treatment.

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
Serum neurofilament light chain (NfL)
Time Frame: 9 months
assessed as pg/ml
9 months

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
Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT)
Time Frame: 9 months
Measuring cognitive processing speed in patients with MS. Participants are instructed to match symbols to their respective numbers using a reference key. The final score is determined by the number of correct symbol-number pairings completed within 90 seconds. Higher scores indicate better cognitive abilities.
9 months
Nine-Hole Peg Test (9HPT)
Time Frame: 9 months
Instrument to evaluate fine motor skills of the upper limbs and manual dexterity. Performance is quantified by completion time, with shorter times reflecting better manual dexterity. The participants insert and remove nine small pegs individually into nine corresponding holes on a rectangular board. To improve reliability, this process was repeated twice for each hand.
9 months
10-Meter Walk Test (10mWT)
Time Frame: 9 months
Evaluation of lower extremity function. Participants were instructed to walk in a straight line at their fastest comfortable pace without running. To avoid measurement bias caused by acceleration and deceleration phases, timing was restricted to the interval between the 2- and 8-meter marks, calculating walking speed over a 6-meter distance.
9 months
Short Form Health Survey (SF-36)
Time Frame: 9 months
The SF-36 covers eight subscales: physical functioning (PF), role physical (RP), bodily pain (BP), general health (GH), vitality (VT), social functioning (SF), role emotional (RE), and mental health (MH). These are transformed into two summary scores: the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and the Mental Component Summary (MCS). Both scores are calculated by combining the subscales using specific algorithms. They reflect the overall physical and mental health status, respectively. Each SF-36 domain is scored individually and transformed to a 0-100 scale, where 0 indicates poor health, and 100 represents optimal health. Scores are interpreted as follows: excellent (>60), above average (51-60), average to slightly below average (41-50), moderately below average (31-40), and significant impairment (<30).
9 months
Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive Functions (FSMC)
Time Frame: 9 months
Fatigue was assessed using the 20-item Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive Functions (FSMC). Motor (FSMCmot) and cognitive (FSMCcog) aspects of fatigue were evaluated separately, and a total score (FSMCtot) was calculated. This score ranges from 20 to 100. Fatigue severity was classified as mild (≥43), moderate (≥53), or severe (≥63).
9 months
Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)
Time Frame: 9 months
Daytime sleepiness was evaluated using the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), an 8-item self-report questionnaire. The ESS assesses the propensity to fall asleep or doze off briefly in different daily situations. Higher scores indicate greater daytime sleepiness. Each Item describes a hypothetical scenario, which participants rate on a 4-point scale (0-3). This results in a total score ranging from 0 to 24 points. Excessive daytime sleepiness was classified as mild (>10), moderate (>13), or severe (>16).
9 months
Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II)
Time Frame: 9 months
Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II), a 21-item questionnaire. It evaluates various aspects of depression, including libido, fatigue, appetite, decision-making ability, and feelings of guilt. For each item, participants were asked to select one of four statements assessing symptom severity from absent (0) to severe (3).
9 months

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.
Salzburger Landeskliniken

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 1, 2024

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.
May 1, 2025

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 12, 2025

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 3, 2026

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 12, 2026

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 19, 2026

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.
May 19, 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.
May 12, 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.
May 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.
  • 1026/2024-2

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

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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