Efficacy and Safety of HEP-40 Chitosan for Mild to Moderately Elevated Cholesterol (HEP-40)

November 14, 2007 updated by: DNP Canada

A 16 Week With 12 Week Active Treatment Multi-Center, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Study Evaluating the Efficacy of HEP-40 Chitosan in Managing Moderate Hypercholesterolemia

Chitosan is a natural product that is produced commercially through the deacetylation of chitin, which is found in the exoskeleton of crustaceans. It has been suggested that chitosan has a lipid-lowering effect.

This study was designed to determine if HEP-40 chitosan (Enzymatic Polychitosamine Hydrolysate - 40kDa), a short-chained chitosan with a molecular weight of 40 kDa, is safe and effective in lowering LDL-cholesterol levels in patients with mild to moderately elevated cholesterol levels and who have not been previously treated with other lipid-lowering agents.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Chitosan is a natural product that is produced commercially through the deacetylation of chitin, which is found in the exoskeleton of crustaceans. It has been suggested that chitosan has a lipid-lowering effect by binding to fatty acids and cholesterol in the gastrointestinal tract and restricting their absorption.

This study was designed to determine if HEP-40 chitosan (Enzymatic Polychitosamine Hydrolysate - 40kDa), a short-chained chitosan with a molecular weight of 40 kDa, is safe and effective in lowering LDL-cholesterol levels in patients who have not been previously treated with lipid-lowering agents and who have cholesterol levels that are mild to moderately above the levels recommended by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) guidelines.

This is a multi-centre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Following a 4-week Pre-Randomization Phase where patients will be instructed to maintain a stable diet, patients will be randomized to one of the following study groups for a 12-week Active Treatment Phase:

  • HEP-40 400 mg three times a day (400 mg TID)
  • HEP-40 800 mg twice a day (800 mg BID)
  • HEP-40 800 mg three times a day (800 mg TID)
  • HEP-40 2400 mg once a day (2400 mg QD)
  • Placebo, three times a day (placebo)

The primary objective is to evaluate the clinical benefit of administering HEP-40 chitosan at different doses and at different dosing regimens compared with placebo. Clinical benefit will be defined as the reduction in LDL-cholesterol after 4 weeks of active treatment.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

207

Phase

  • Phase 2

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

    • Quebec
      • Westmount, Quebec, Canada, H3Z 1R7
        • JSS Medical Research Inc.

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

Ages Eligible for Study

16 years to 73 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosed with borderline, mild or moderate hypercholesterolemia, defined as LDL-C levels between 2.0 mmol/L and 4.5 mmol/L;
  • At low (≤10%) or moderate (11-19%) 10-year risk for cardiovascular disease according to the Framingham model;
  • Treatment-naïve for any lipid-lowering medications including statins, other pharmaceuticals or nutraceuticals;
  • Stable diet and willing to continue on the dietary regimen recommended by their physician (NCEP Step 1 Diet) for the duration of the study;
  • Woman of child bearing potential must be practicing effective birth control for a period of at least one month prior to initiation of the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any concomitant condition which in the opinion of the investigator would preclude the patient from successfully participating in the study;
  • Pregnant or that are breast feeding;
  • Participation in another clinical trial within 30 days from initiation of the study;
  • Known cardiac disease including: congestive heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, unstable angina, myocardial infarction within the last 6 months, or uncontrolled malignant hypertension;
  • High risk of developing coronary artery disease;
  • Any condition affecting a major organ system, such as liver or kidney disease or malignancy;
  • Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus or newly diagnosed patients (within 3 months) or recent change in anti-diabetic pharmacotherapy within 3 months of screening;
  • Evidence of active renal disease indicated by serum creatinine > 2.0 mg/dL;
  • Known HIV or Hepatitis B or C positive;
  • Concurrent use of corticosteroids;
  • Allergy or intolerance to crustaceans and/or seafood products.

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: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: HEP 400mg TID
HEP-40 400 mg three times a day
Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Polychitosamine-40 kDa
Other Names:
  • Libracol
Active Comparator: HEP 800mg BID
HEP-40 800 mg twice a day
Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Polychitosamine-40 kDa
Other Names:
  • Libracol
Active Comparator: HEP 800mg TID
HEP-40 800 mg three times a day
Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Polychitosamine-40 kDa
Other Names:
  • Libracol
Active Comparator: HEP 2400mg QD
HEP-40 2400 mg once a day
Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Polychitosamine-40 kDa
Other Names:
  • Libracol
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Placebo, three times a day
Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Polychitosamine-40 kDa
Other Names:
  • Libracol

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Percent change in serum LDL-C between the baseline and 4-week visit compared to placebo.
Time Frame: 4 weeks
4 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Percent change in serum LDL-C from baseline to 8- and 12-weeks of treatment compared to placebo
Time Frame: 12 weeks
12 weeks
Percent change in serum total cholesterol from baseline to 12 weeks of treatment compared to placebo
Time Frame: 12 weeks
12 weeks
Percent change in serum HDL-C from baseline to 12 weeks of treatment compared to placebo
Time Frame: 12 weeks
12 weeks
Percent change in serum triglycerides from baseline to 12 weeks of treatment compared to placebo
Time Frame: 12 weeks
12 weeks
Safety and tolerability over the 12-week active treatment period, as determined by treatment-emergent adverse events.
Time Frame: 12 weeks
12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Jacques HF Lenis, MD, Recherche Invascor Inc
  • Study Director: John S Sampalis, PhD, JSS Medical Research Inc.

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

February 1, 2006

Study Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2007

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 30, 2007

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 30, 2007

First Posted (Estimate)

April 2, 2007

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

November 16, 2007

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 14, 2007

Last Verified

November 1, 2007

More Information

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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