Vitamin D and Coronary Calcification Study (VCOR)

December 7, 2017 updated by: Joslin Diabetes Center

A Phase IV, Randomized, Single-center Study of the Effects of Calcitriol and Paricalcitol on Vascular Calcification in Chronic Kidney Disease Stages 3 and 4

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a higher mortality rate than the general population, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounting for approximately 50% of deaths. Vascular calcification is a common finding in patients with CKD. Furthermore, patients with CKD develop secondary hyperparathyroidism, partly because of a decrease of calcitriol synthesis on the kidney. Treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism includes use of activated vitamin D including calcitriol and paricalcitol. Recent evidence in dialysis patients suggest an improved survival in patients using paricalcitol compared to calcitriol.

Studies in uremic rats suggests that there are differential effects of calcitriol and paricalcitol in expression of markers of soft-tissue calcification independent of calcium-phosphorus product. Calcitriol increased calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells cultured in calcification media. There was also significant increase in pulse pressure in animals treated with calcitriol.

The investigators hypothesize that these different forms of vitamin D may have differential effects in vascular calcification progression in CKD patients.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a risk marker for CVD and mortality. In animal models, calcitriol significantly increased the serum calcium-phosphate product and aortic calcium content, while paricalcitol had no effect. The objective of this randomized, blinded single-center is to determine the differential effect of oral calcitriol and paracalcitol on vascular calcification in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

We performed a total of 89 screening visits and randomized 44 participants. Forty participants completed the final visit. Diagram 1 presents the recruitment schematic.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

44

Phase

  • Phase 4

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

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19107
        • Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

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

25 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • CKD stages 3 or 4 (estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) between 15 and 59)

  • Diagnosis of secondary hyperparathyroidism, which is defined as:

    • Elevated intact PTH (iPTH) as per KDIGO guidelines:

      • CKD stage 3 (eGFR 30-59) or CKD stage 4 (eGFR 15-29) with iPTH > Upper Limit of Normal for lab (6.8 pmol/L)
  • Presence of Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC > 0)
  • Subject will be able to complete the study, to the best of his/her knowledge

Exclusion Criteria:

  • iPTH >1500 pg/ml
  • Current or previous use of bisphosphonates
  • History of parathyroidectomy or anticipated parathyroidectomy
  • History of cinacalcet use
  • History of a solid organ transplant or scheduled date for transplant surgery
  • History of coronary revascularization (coronary artery bypass surgery or percutaneous intervention)
  • History of coronary artifact (e.g. pacemaker, intracardiac defibrillator, artificial valve or biventricular leads)
  • Active atrial fibrillation
  • Weight greater than 300 pounds (due to limitations of equipment)
  • HIV positive
  • Current pregnancy (although pregnancy is very rare in the CKD population)
  • Life expectancy less than two years as judged by primary physician
  • Institutionalized patients (nursing home or prisoners)
  • Language barrier or mental incapacity to consent
  • Inability to swallow tablets or current gastrointestinal disorder that may be associated with impaired absorption of orally administered medications.

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Calcitriol

Calcitriol is a synthetic vitamin D analog which is active in the regulation of the absorption of calcium from the gastrointestinal tract and its utilization in the body. Calcitriol is available as capsules containing 0.25 mcg or 0.5 mcg calcitriol and as an oral solution containing 1 mcg/ml of calcitriol. All dosage forms contain butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) as antioxidants.

Subjects taking calcitriol started at 0.25 mcg 3x/week and titrated up during the next visit according to PTH levels.
Drug: Calcitriol (Rocaltrol®)
Subjects taking calcitriol will be started at 0.25 mcg 3x/week and titrated up during the next visit according to PTH levels. If at the 12 week visit, PTH is still not at goal, then calcitriol will be increased to 0.5 mcg 3x/week.
Other Names:
  • Calcijex®
  • Rocaltrol®
Active Comparator: Paricalcitol

Paricalcitol, USP, the active ingredient in Zemplar® Capsules, is a synthetically manufactured analog of calcitriol, the metabolically active form of vitamin D indicated for the prevention and treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic kidney disease. Zemplar is available as soft gelatin capsules for oral administration containing 1 mcg, 2 mcg or 4 mcg of paricalcitol. Each capsule also contains medium chain triglycerides, alcohol, and butylated hydroxytoluene.

Subjects taking paricalcitol will be started at 2 mcg 3x/week and titrated up during the next visit according to PTH levels.
Drug: Paricalcitol
Subjects taking paricalcitol will be started at 2 mcg 3x/week and titrated up during the next visit according to PTH levels. If at the 12 week visit, PTH is still not at goal, then paricalcitol will be increased to 4 mcg 3x/week.
Other Names:
  • Zemplar®

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Coronary Artery (CAC) Score Progression
Time Frame: 48 weeks

coronary artery (CAC) score difference between baseline and followup CT scans. It was measured in Agatston units. These are units of amount of calcification in the blood vessels so it's a continuous variable. The amount of calcium was quantified with the Agatston scoring method. Calcium scores were adjusted with a standard calcium phantom that was scanned along with the participant. The phantom contained known calcium density bars and provided a way to calibrate the x-ray attenuation level.

Participants scoring CAC >400 are considered to be at risk for having at least one coronary lesion.
48 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Joslin Diabetes Center

Collaborators

Abbott

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Sylvia E Rosas, MD, MSCE, Joslin Diabetes Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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

September 1, 2008

Primary Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2013

Study Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 11, 2008

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 12, 2008

First Posted (Estimate)

September 15, 2008

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

December 8, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 7, 2017

Last Verified

December 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Abbott #20128

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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