Alpha-Lipoic Acid Added to Dapagliflozin and Insulin Resistance in Type 2 Diabetes (ALA/DAPA)

November 7, 2026 updated by: Sherif Thabet Ahmed Hussien, Fayoum University

Effect of Alpha-Lipoic Acid as Add-on Therapy to Dapagliflozin on Insulin Resistance and Glycemic Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether adding alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) to usual treatment with metformin and dapagliflozin improves insulin resistance in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Does ALA 600 mg once daily for 12 weeks lower insulin resistance, measured by the Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), more than a placebo?
  • Does ALA also improve blood sugar control, body weight and waist size, blood pressure, and blood fats, and is it safe and well tolerated?

Participants will:

  • Keep taking their usual metformin and dapagliflozin 10 mg daily without any change.
  • Take one capsule every day for 12 weeks, either ALA 600 mg or a matching placebo (a capsule with no active ingredient), assigned by chance.
  • Visit the clinic at the start, at week 6, and at week 12 for blood tests, body measurements, and safety checks.

Researchers will compare the ALA group with the placebo group to see if ALA lowers HOMA-IR more than placebo.

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

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is characterized by insulin resistance. No randomized trial has yet evaluated ALA added to dapagliflozin with HOMA-IR as the primary endpoint, which is the gap this study addresses.

The study is a single-center, parallel-group trial conducted at the Diabetes and Endocrinology Outpatient Clinic of Fayoum University Hospital, Egypt.

Randomization is 1:1 using a computer-generated. Allocation is concealed with sequentially numbered, opaque, sealed envelopes. Capsules are identical in appearance, so participants, treating clinicians, outcome assessors, and the statistician remain blinded until database lock.

Visits take place at baseline, Week 6, and Week 12. Fasting blood samples (glucose, insulin, HbA1c, lipid profile), weight, height, waist circumference, and blood pressure are collected at baseline and Week 12. Week 6 includes anthropometrics, blood pressure, adherence by pill count, and adverse event review. HOMA-IR is calculated as fasting insulin (microunits/mL) multiplied by fasting glucose (mg/dL), divided by 405.

Analysis follows the intention-to-treat principle. Between-group differences are tested with analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) using the baseline value as covariate, with a two-sided significance level of 0.05. The sample size was calculated for a standardized effect size of 0.75 (80% power, alpha 0.05), giving 28 participants per group, increased to allow for 15% dropout and an additional safety margin.

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.
70

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 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 Contact Backup

Study Locations

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

30 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 30 to 70 years, either sex
  • Established diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus
  • HbA1c between 7.0% and 10.0% at screening
  • On stable metformin plus dapagliflozin 10 mg daily for at least 3 months
  • Able and willing to give written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Type 1 diabetes or secondary forms of diabetes
  • Pregnancy, lactation, or planned pregnancy
  • eGFR below 45 mL/min/1.73 m2
  • Severe liver disease (Child-Pugh B or C)
  • Acute coronary syndrome, stroke, or hospitalization for decompensated heart failure within the past 3 months
  • Current or recent (within 4 weeks) use of alpha-lipoic acid, other high-dose antioxidant supplements, or insulin
  • Known hypersensitivity to alpha-lipoic acid or placebo excipients
  • Active malignancy or any condition that would prevent completing 12 weeks of follow-up

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.
Active Comparator: ALA + Metformin/Dapagliflozin

Alpha-lipoic acid 600 mg capsule taken orally once daily for 12 weeks, in addition to the participant's usual metformin and dapagliflozin 10 mg daily, which continue unchanged.
Drug: Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA)

Oral capsules dispensed at study visits. Unused capsules are returned and counted at Week 6 and Week 12 to measure adherence.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo + Metformin/Dapagliflozin

Matching placebo capsule taken orally once daily for 12 weeks, in addition to the participant's usual metformin and dapagliflozin 10 mg daily, which continue unchanged.
Drug: Placebo

Capsule with no active ingredient, dispensed and counted on the same schedule as the ALA capsule.

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 Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR)
Time Frame: Baseline to Week 12

HOMA-IR = fasting insulin (microunits/mL) x fasting glucose (mg/dL) / 405, calculated from fasting blood samples. Change = Week 12 value minus baseline value.
Baseline to Week 12

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
Change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c)
Time Frame: Baseline to Week 12

Percentage points, measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Change = Week 12 minus baseline.
Baseline to Week 12
Change in fasting plasma glucose
Time Frame: Baseline to Week 12

Measured in mg/dL after 10 to 12 hours of fasting. Change = Week 12 minus baseline.
Baseline to Week 12
Change in systolic and diastolic blood pressure
Time Frame: Baseline to Week 12

Measured in mmHg. Change = Week 12 minus baseline.
Baseline to Week 12

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.
Fayoum University

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: Sherif T Ahmed, teaching assistant, Fayoum 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 (Estimated)

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.
December 1, 2026

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.
August 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.
September 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 7, 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.
November 7, 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.
November 12, 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.
November 12, 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.
November 7, 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.
November 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.
  • R 916

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

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.

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