Eslicarbazepine Acetate as Therapy in Post-Herpetic Neuralgia

A Phase 3, Double Blind, Randomized, Placebo Controlled, Parallel Group, Multicenter Clinical Study of Eslicarbazepine Acetate in Post-Herpetic Neuralgia

The primary objective of this study is to assess the efficacy of Eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) as therapy in subjects with Post-herpetic Neuralgia (PHN) over a 15 week treatment phase.

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Post Herpetic Neuralgia
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Eslicarbazepine acetate (BIA 2-093); Drug: Placebo

Detailed Description

Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a syndrome of intractable pain following an acute infection of herpes zoster (shingles).

Treatment for PHN is often suboptimal. More than 50% of the subjects fail to respond to pharmacological treatments or experience intolerable side effects.

The clinical development of ESL to treat neuropathic pain is based on its chemical and pharmacodynamic relationship to sodium channel blockers, including carbamazepine, which is effective for treating some neuropathic pain conditions. Preclinical data supports the theoretical background.

This study will examine the efficacy, safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of Eslicarbazepine acetate for the treatment of post herpetic neuralgia.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 240
• Phase: Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Germany
  • Berlin, Germany, 12627
    • Synexus ClinPharm GmbH

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male and female outpatients aged 18 years or older. Female subjects are of nonchildbearing potential, defined as surgical sterilization (hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy or tubal ligation) or at least 2 years postmenopausal (spontaneous amenorrhea for at least 24 months before Visit 1), or if of childbearing potential, subjects agree to use a medically acceptable nonhormonal method of contraception.
• Experiencing pain for at least 6 months after the healing of a herpes zoster skin rash.
• A mean score between 4.0 and 9.0, inclusive, on the 24 hour average pain intensity assessment.
• Compliance with patient diary completion.
• If not used to treat PHN, subjects are permitted to take nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors if they were kept on a stable dose for 1 month prior to Screening and are foreseen to remain stable throughout the study.
• Competent and able to freely give own informed consent.
• Female subjects of childbearing potential, who are not currently breastfeeding, must have a negative serum pregnancy test at Visit 1.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Historical exposure to drugs known to cause neuropathy
• Significant skin lesions (active infection, ulcer, etc).
• Known intolerance to ESL or to other carboxamide derivatives (eg, carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine) or frequent or severe allergic reactions with multiple medications.
• Subjects who previously participated in a clinical study with ESL.
• Major psychiatric disorder.
• Serious or unstable cardiovascular disease that could compromise participation or cause hospitalization during the study.
• Second or third degree atrioventricular blockade not corrected with a pacemaker or any clinically significant abnormality in the 12 lead electrocardiogram as determined by the investigator.
• Subjects taking the following drug classes and individual drugs are excluded: benzodiazepines (except short half life sleep agents), skeletal muscle relaxants, orally administered steroids, capsaicin, mexiletine, centrally acting analgesics (dextromethorphan, tramadol), opiates, topical lidocaine, anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. These drugs require a minimum washout period of at least 5 times the half life and should be tapered appropriately using product label instructions as a guide.
• Relevant clinical laboratory abnormality that, in the investigator's opinion, can compromise the subject's safety.
• History of drug abuse or dependence (drug categories defined by DSM IV) within the past year, excluding nicotine and caffeine.
• Subjects who, in the previous 30 days, received treatment with a drug that had not received regulatory approval for any indication at the time of study entry.
• History of recurrent epileptic seizures except febrile seizures.
• History of severe gastroparesis or gastric bypass surgery.
• Neurolytic or neurosurgical treatment for PHN.
• Injected anesthetics or steroid use within 30 days of Visit 1.
• Malignancy within past 2 years.
• History of chronic hepatitis B or C within the past 3 months or human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Placebo	Drug: Placebo; Tablets will be used.
Experimental: Eslicarbazepine acetate 800 mg once daily (QD)	Drug: Eslicarbazepine acetate (BIA 2-093); Tablets will be used.; Other Names: Zebinix; ESL; BIA 2-093; Exalief
Experimental: Eslicarbazepine acetate 1200 mg QD	Drug: Eslicarbazepine acetate (BIA 2-093); Tablets will be used.; Other Names: Zebinix; ESL; BIA 2-093; Exalief
Experimental: Eslicarbazepine acetate 1600 mg QD	Drug: Eslicarbazepine acetate (BIA 2-093); Tablets will be used.; Other Names: Zebinix; ESL; BIA 2-093; Exalief

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change From Baseline to Endpoint in Mean Pain	The efficacy analysis was restricted to the primary efficacy variable in the analysis population. The intended treatment period, starting on the day of the randomization and ending at the efficacy cut-off date (October 31, 2011), was the basis for the analysis. The primary efficacy variable was the difference between the mean values of 7 daily pain scores preceding the efficacy cut-off date (endpoint mean pain score), and before randomization (baseline mean pain score), respectively. The daily pain scores were based on the morning response to the 11-point Numeric Rating Pain Scale (NRPS) question relating to average pain intensity over the last 24 hours. The NPRS is an 11-point scale from 0-10 ["0" = no pain; "10" = the most intense pain imaginable]	baseline to endpoint

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Bial - Portela C S.A.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: September 1, 2010
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 1, 2012
• Study Completion (Actual): April 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 3, 2010
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 13, 2010
• First Posted (Estimate): May 14, 2010

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): April 7, 2014
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 26, 2014
• Last Verified: February 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: post herpetic neuralgia
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Neuromuscular Diseases; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases; Neuralgia; Neuralgia, Postherpetic; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Membrane Transport Modulators; Anticonvulsants; Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blockers; Sodium Channel Blockers; Eslicarbazepine acetate
• Other Study ID Numbers: BIA-2093-308; 2010-019101-42 (EudraCT Number)