Riluzole to Treat Depression in Bipolar Disorder

An Investigation of the Antidepressant Efficacy of an Antiglutamatergic Agent in Bipolar Depression

This study examines if Riluzole, FDA approved for ALS, will improve symptoms of depression in Bipolar Disorder.

Purpose: This study will examine the safety and effectiveness of riluzole (Rilutek trademark) for short-term treatment of depression symptoms, such as depressed mood, psychomotor retardation, and excessive sleeping in patients with bipolar disease. Riluzole is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). Preliminary findings of a study using riluzole to treat acute depression in patients with unipolar depression indicate that it may have antidepressant properties in some patients.

Patients between 18 and 70 years of age with bipolar I or II disorder without psychosis may be eligible for this 8-week study. Candidates must be currently depressed, must have had at least one previous major depressive episode, and must have failed to improve with prior treatment with at least one antidepressant. They will be screened with a medical history, physical examination, electrocardiogram (EKG), blood and urine tests, and psychiatric evaluation. A blood or urine sample will be analyzed for illegal drugs. Women of childbearing potential will have a pregnancy test.

Participants will begin an 8-week course of treatment, starting with a placebo (a sugar pill formulated to look like the active drug) and, at some point, switching to riluzole. In addition to drug treatment, participants will undergo the following procedures:

Physical examination and electrocardiogram (EKG) at the beginning and end of the study;

Weekly check of vital signs (temperature, blood pressure and heart rate);

Weekly 1-hour interviews consisting of psychiatric and psychomotor rating scales to assess treatment response;

Weekly blood tests to measure blood levels of riluzole and evaluate drug side effects.

At the end of the study, participants' psychiatric status will be reassessed and appropriate long-term psychiatric treatment arranged.

Atendemos pacientes de habla hispana.

We enroll eligible participants locally and from around the country. Travel arrangements are provided and costs covered by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). (Arrangements vary by distance and by specific study.) After completing the study participants receive short-term follow-up care while transitioning back to a provider.

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Bipolar Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Placebo; Drug: Riluzole

Detailed Description

The treatments for acute unipolar depression have been extensively researched. However, despite the availability of a wide range of antidepressant drugs, clinical trials indicate that 30% to 40% of depressed patients fail to respond to first-line antidepressant treatment, despite adequate dosage, duration, and compliance. Very few studies have examined the efficacy of somatic treatments for the acute phase of bipolar depression. Thus, there is a clear need to develop novel and improved therapeutics for bipolar depression. Recent preclinical studies suggest that antidepressants may exert delayed indirect effects on the glutamatergic system. Clinical data suggests that lamotrigine an inhibitor of glutamate release and the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist ketamine may have antidepressant effects. Finally, our group recently found in two separate studies that the glutamate modulating agent riluzole was effective in treatment-resistant unipolar and bipolar depression (Zarate et al 2004). Together, these data suggest that the glutamatergic system may play a role in the pathophysiology and treatment of depression, and that agents, which more directly reduce glutamatergic neurotransmission, may represent a novel class of antidepressants.

In this study, we propose to extend our findings from open-label studies with riluzole in treatment-resistant depression by investigating its efficacy in a double-blind placebo-controlled study in bipolar depression.

Patients, ages 18 to 70 years with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder I or II current episode depressed (without psychotic features), will be randomized to double-blind treated to receive either riluzole (50-200 mg/day) or placebo for a period of 8 weeks. Acute efficacy will be determined by demonstrating a greater response rate using specified criteria.

Approximately 78 patients with acute bipolar depression will be enrolled in this study.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 19
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Maryland
    • Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
      • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

• INCLUSION CRITERIA:

Male or female subjects, 18-70 years of age.

Female subjects of childbearing potential must be using a medically accepted means of contraception.

Each subject must have a level of understanding sufficient to agree to all required tests and examinations.

Each subject must understand the nature of the study and must sign an informed consent document.

Subjects must fulfill the criteria bipolar I or II disorder, current episode depressed without psychotic features as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) based on clinical assessment and confirmed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM (SCID-P).

Subjects must have an initial score at Visit 1 and Visit 2 of at least 20 on the MADRS.

Current duration of depressive episode should be at least 4 weeks.

Subjects must have experienced, in the opinion of the investigator, at least one previous major depressive episode as defined in DSM-IV (not including the current major depressive episode).

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

Presence of psychotic features.

Female subjects who are either pregnant or nursing.

Serious, unstable illnesses including hepatic, renal, gastroenterologic, respiratory, cardiovascular (including ischemic heart disease), endocrinologic, neurologic, immunologic, or hematologic disease.

Subjects with uncorrected hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.

Clinically significant abnormal laboratory tests.

Current or past blood dyscrasia.

Documented history of hypersensitivity or intolerance to riluzole.

DSM-IV substance abuse or dependence within the past 90 days. No alcohol or recreational drug use will be permitted during the study.

Treatment with an injectable depot neuroleptic within less than one dosing interval between depot neuroleptic injections prior to visit 2.

Treatment with a reversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), guanethidine, or guanadrel within 1 week or with fluoxetine within 5 weeks prior to Visit 2.

Treatment with any other concomitant medication with primarily central nervous system (CNS) activity, other than specified in Appendix A.

Treatment with clozapine or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) within 4 weeks prior to Visit 2.

Current diagnosis of schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder as defined in the DSM-IV.

Current Axis I Anxiety Disorder that is clinically significant.

Judged clinically to be at serious suicidal risk.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Riluzole; Riluzole was dispensed either once or twice a day as 50 mg tablets. Riluzole dosing began at 50 mg twice per day by mouth and was increased on a weekly basis by 50 mg, as tolerated, to achieve a dose of 200 mg/day. Dose escalations continued until at least a 50% reduction in depression (MADRS) scores, intolerable side effects, or study completion. Dose was raised on a weekly basis by 50 mg until the dose of 200 mg was achieved unless precluded by an adverse event. If significant side effects occurred, titration was slowed and doses were reduced under double-blind conditions. The maximum permitted dose of riluzole was 200 mg/day. Those subjects not tolerating a dosage of 50 mg/day were removed from the study.	Drug: Riluzole; Riluzole; Other Names: Rilutek
Placebo Comparator: Placebo; Placebo pills resembling 50 mg riluzole tables were dispensed either once or twice a day. Dosing began at 50 mg twice per day by mouth and was increased on a weekly basis by 50 mg, as tolerated, to achieve a dose of 200 mg/day. Dose escalations continued until at least a 50% reduction in depression (MADRS) scores, intolerable side effects, or study completion. Dose was raised on a weekly basis by 50 mg until the dose of 200 mg was achieved unless precluded by an adverse event. If significant side effects occurred, titration was slowed and doses were reduced under double-blind conditions. The maximum permitted dose of riluzole was 200 mg/day. Those subjects not tolerating a dosage of 50 mg/day were removed from the study.	Drug: Placebo; Placebo

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale	The Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) is a clinician-rated assessment of depression symptoms. Patients were rated weekly on 10 symptoms on a scale of 0 to 6 for each item, where 0 indicated no symptoms and 6 indicated the highest severity of that symptom. Total scores range from 0 to 60, where a moderate severity of depression would be present with a score of at least 20.	8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Altamura CA, Mauri MC, Ferrara A, Moro AR, D'Andrea G, Zamberlan F. Plasma and platelet excitatory amino acids in psychiatric disorders. Am J Psychiatry. 1993 Nov;150(11):1731-3. doi: 10.1176/ajp.150.11.1731.
• Auer DP, Putz B, Kraft E, Lipinski B, Schill J, Holsboer F. Reduced glutamate in the anterior cingulate cortex in depression: an in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study. Biol Psychiatry. 2000 Feb 15;47(4):305-13. doi: 10.1016/s0006-3223(99)00159-6.
• Bae HJ, Lee YS, Kang DW, Koo JS, Yoon BW, Roh JK. Neuroprotective effect of low dose riluzole in gerbil model of transient global ischemia. Neurosci Lett. 2000 Nov 10;294(1):29-32. doi: 10.1016/s0304-3940(00)01536-6. Erratum In: Neurosci Lett 2001 Feb 23;299(3):242. Gu JS [corrected to Koo JS].
• Hejazi NS, Farmer CA, Oppenheimer M, Falodun TB, Park LT, Duncan WC Jr, Zarate CA Jr. The relationship between the HDRS insomnia items and polysomnographic (PSG) measures in individuals with treatment-resistant depression. J Psychiatr Res. 2022 Apr;148:27-33. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.01.022. Epub 2022 Jan 11.
• Park LT, Lener MS, Hopkins M, Iadorola N, Machado-Vieira R, Ballard E, Nugent A, Zarate CA Jr. A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Pilot Study of Riluzole Monotherapy for Acute Bipolar Depression. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2017 Jun;37(3):355-358. doi: 10.1097/JCP.0000000000000693.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: February 1, 2003
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2014
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 6, 2003
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 6, 2003
• First Posted (Estimate): February 7, 2003

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 25, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 1, 2019
• Last Verified: January 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Mood Disorder; Bipolar Disorder; Riluzole; Neuroprotective; Open-Label Study; Glutamate Dysfunction; Bipolar Mood Disorder
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Pathologic Processes; Bipolar and Related Disorders; Disease; Bipolar Disorder; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; Excitatory Amino Acid Agents; Neuroprotective Agents; Protective Agents; Anticonvulsants; Riluzole
• Other Study ID Numbers: 030092; 03-M-0092 (Other Identifier: NIH CNS IRB)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No