Pioglitazone in Early Parkinson's Disease

A Multi-Center, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Phase II Study of Pioglitazone in Early Parkinson's Disease

This is a multi-center, double-blind, placebo controlled clinical trial of two dosages of oral pioglitazone (15 milligram(mg) and 45 milligram (mg)) for safety, tolerability, and futility.

Subjects who are on stable dose of rasagiline 1 mg/day or selegiline 10 mg/day for at least 8 weeks but no more than 8 months, will be randomized to one of two dosages of oral pioglitazone (15 mg and 45 mg) or matching placebo.

The study will measure disease progression by the change in total Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) score between the baseline visit and 44 weeks.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Parkinson's Disease
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Pioglitazone; Drug: placebo

Detailed Description

A Multi-Center, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Phase II Study of Pioglitazone in Early Parkinson's Disease (PD). The patient population has early stage PD (< 5 years from diagnosis), must be treated with 1 mg/day of rasagiline or 10 mg/day of selegiline for at least 8 weeks but not more than 8 months prior to enrollment.

The primary objective of this clinical trial is to assess the futility of pioglitazone on PD disease progression as measured by the change in total UPDRS score between the baseline visit and 44 weeks. The secondary objectives of the study are to collect additional efficacy and safety/tolerability data to be used in planning a subsequent Phase III trial of pioglitazone in early, treated PD. Measures of cognition, mood and blood- and urine-based biomarkers will also be explored. Subjects in this trial are randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to one of three study arms: 15 mg, 45 mg or placebo.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 210
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Alabama
    • Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35294-0017
      • Univeristy of Alabama at Birmingham
  • Arizona
    • Phoenix, Arizona, United States, 85013
      • Barrow Neurological Institute
  • California
    • Fountain Valley, California, United States, 92708
      • The Parkinson's & Movement Disorder Institute
    • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90083
      • University of Southern California
    • San Fransisco, California, United States, 94143-0114
      • University of California San Fransisco
  • Colorado
    • Aurora, Colorado, United States, 80045
      • Univeristy of Colorado Denver
  • Florida
    • Gainsville, Florida, United States, 32610
      • University of Florida
    • Jacksonville, Florida, United States, 32209
      • University of Florida, Jacksonville
    • Miami, Florida, United States, 33136
      • University of Miami
    • Tampa, Florida, United States, 33606
      • University of South Florida
  • Georgia
    • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30329
      • Emory University School of Medicine
    • Augusta, Georgia, United States, 30912
      • Medical College of Georgia
  • Hawaii
    • Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, 96819
      • Pacific Health Research & Education Institute
  • Illinois
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611
      • Northwestern University
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60612
      • Rush University Medical Center
  • Kansas
    • Kansas City, Kansas, United States, 66160
      • University of Kansas Medical Center
  • Kentucky
    • Lexington, Kentucky, United States, 40536
      • University of Kentucky
  • Louisiana
    • New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, 70121
      • Ochsner Clinic Foundation
    • Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, 71103
      • LSU Health Science Center Shreveport
  • Maryland
    • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21287-0875
      • Johns Hopkins University
  • Massachusetts
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02215
      • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
      • Brigham & Women's Hospital
  • Michigan
    • Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48109-5316
      • University of Michigan
    • East Lansing, Michigan, United States, 48824
      • Michigan State University
  • Minnesota
    • Golden Valley, Minnesota, United States, 55427
      • Struthers Parkinson's Center
  • Missouri
    • St Louis, Missouri, United States, 63110
      • Washington University
  • New Hampshire
    • Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States, 03756
      • Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
  • New York
    • Brooklyn, New York, United States, 11203-2098
      • SUNY Downstate Medical Center
    • Manhasset, New York, United States, 11030
      • North Shore - LIJ Health System
  • North Carolina
    • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27705
      • Duke University
  • Oregon
    • Portland, Oregon, United States, 97239-3098
      • Oregon Health & Science University
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19107
      • Thomas Jefferson University
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19107
      • University of Pennsylvania
  • South Carolina
    • Charleston, South Carolina, United States, 29401
      • Medical University of South Carolina
  • Tennessee
    • Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37232
      • Vanderbilt University
  • Texas
    • Dallas, Texas, United States, 75390-9036
      • University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
  • Vermont
    • Burlington, Vermont, United States, 05405
      • University of Vermont
  • Virginia
    • Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, 22903
      • University of Virginia

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 30 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Willing and able to give informed consent.
2. Men and women with idiopathic PD of less than 5 years duration from diagnosis with a Hoehn and Yahr Stage < 2.
3. On stable dosage of rasagiline 1 mg/day or selegiline 10 mg/day for at least 8 weeks but not more than 8 months prior to baseline. Expected to remain on stable dose of rasagiline or selegiline as the only treatment for their PD for the duration of the study (44 weeks).
4. Diagnosis must be confirmed by bradykinesia plus one of the other cardinal signs (resting tremor, rigidity) being present, without any other known or suspected cause of parkinsonism. The clinical signs must be asymmetric.
5. Subjects may be taking stable doses (30 days) of anticholinergics or creatine (< 5gm/day) but must be expected to remain on the same dose.
6. Age > 30 years.
7. Women who are not postmenopausal or surgically sterile must use a medically accepted contraceptive regimen for at least 60 days before the baseline visit, and agree to continue such use throughout the duration of the study and for 30 days after the final dose of study drug.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Exposure to dopaminergic PD therapy or amantadine within 60 days prior to baseline visit or for 90 days or more at any point in the past
2. Use of any of the following drugs within 180 days prior to baseline: neuroleptics, metoclopramide, alpha-methyldopa, clozapine, olanzapine and flunarizine.
3. Use of any of the following drugs within 90 days prior to baseline: methylphenidate, cinnarizine, reserpine, tetrabenazine, amphetamine or monoamine oxidase (MAO)-A inhibitors (pargyline, phenelzine, and tranylcypromine).
4. Presence of drug-induced parkinsonism (e.g., metoclopramide, flunarizine), metabolic identified neurogenetic disorders (e.g., Wilson's disease), encephalitis, or other atypical Parkinsonian syndromes (e.g., progressive supranuclear palsy, multiple system atrophy).
5. Participation in other drug studies or receipt of other investigational drugs within 30 days prior to baseline or during the study.
6. Presence of freezing.
7. Any clinically significant psychiatric or medical condition or laboratory abnormality, which would in the judgment of the Investigator interfere with the subject's ability to participate.
8. History of stereotaxic brain surgery for PD
9. Clinically significant structural brain disease that the investigator believes would interfere with study evaluations.
10. History of congestive heart failure.
11. Use of pioglitazone or rosiglitazone within 90 days before randomization.
12. Known intolerance to pioglitazone or rosiglitazone.
13. Allergy to rasagiline or selegiline, or contraindication to rasagiline or selegiline use.
14. Type I or Type II diabetes mellitus.
15. HgbA1C greater than or equal to 6% at Screening.
16. Known liver disease or elevation of AST or ALT greater than 2.5 times the upper limit of normal.
17. Known history of osteoporosis. All women ≥ 65 years of age or men and woman at high risk of osteoporosis should have documented evidence of screening for osteoporosis. Factors associated with high risk of osteoporosis include: previous non traumatic fracture, chronic glucocorticoid use, body weight under 58 kg, family history of hip fracture, current cigarette smoking, and excessive alcohol intake.
18. Drug or alcohol use or dependence that, in the opinion of the Investigator, would interfere with the safe conduct of the study.
19. Significant peripheral edema (2+ or more) of the extremities of any etiology.
20. Current or planned use of gemfibrozil or rifampin during the trial.
21. History of bladder cancer.
22. Evidence of hematuria which has not been evaluated for evidence of bladder cancer. (Documentation of work up or a repeat urine test that was negative for hematuria and the primary care physician or urologist does not feel that further work up is required.)
23. History of macular edema.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: 15 mg pioglitazone	Drug: Pioglitazone; Oral capsules of Pioglitazone (15 mg capsules) either 15 mg/qd or 45 mg/qd Subjects will titrate in a blinded fashion to 30 mg/day after 2 weeks and to 45 mg per day) 2 weeks later as tolerated.; Other Names: Pioglitazone Hydrochloride; ACTOS (R)
Experimental: 45 mg pioglitazone	Drug: Pioglitazone; Oral capsules of Pioglitazone (15 mg capsules) either 15 mg/qd or 45 mg/qd Subjects will titrate in a blinded fashion to 30 mg/day after 2 weeks and to 45 mg per day) 2 weeks later as tolerated.; Other Names: Pioglitazone Hydrochloride; ACTOS (R)
Placebo Comparator: Matching Placebo; Placebo	Drug: placebo; Placebo will contain microcrystalline cellulose. An over-encapsulation process will be conducted in accordance with Clinical Good Manufacturing Procedures (cGMP) regulations to create a dosage form for the active study drug that will be indistinguishable from the comparator (Placebo) capsule.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Total Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Score From Baseline to 44 Weeks	Change in total UPDRS score from baseline to 44 weeks (in subjects treated with rasagiline 1 mg/day or selegiline 10 mg/day). The Total UPDRS is the sum of parts I, II, and III. The possible range of the total UPDRS is from 0-176. Higher values indicate worse outcomes. The change is 44 weeks - baseline.	44 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Ambulatory Capacity From Baseline to 44 Weeks	This is the sum of the 5 UPDRS questions regarding ambulatory capacity: falling, freezing, walking, gait, postural stability. Ambulatory Capacity is calculated as the sum of items 13-15, 29, 30 of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). It ranges from 0-20. Higher scores are worse. Change is 44 weeks - baseline.	44 weeks
Change in Schwab and England Scale From Baseline to 44 Weeks	The modified Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living is a single question ranging from 0-100% with anchors for each 10% interval. Higher scores are better (100% completely independent- 0% vegetative).	44 weeks
Change in Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) From Baseline to 44 Weeks	The Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) is a short, 39 item measure of quality of life in subjects with Parkinson's disease. The questionnaire covers 8 aspects of quality of life: mobility, activities of daily living, emotional well-being, stigma, social support, cognitions, communication and bodily discomfort. The total score ranges from 0 (never have difficulty) to 100 (always have difficulty). Lower scores reflect better quality of life.	44 weeks
Change in the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (DRS-2)From Baseline to 44 Weeks	The Mattis dementia rating scale is a psychometric instrument designed to assess the extent and nature of dementia. Mattis Dementia Rating scale (DRS-2) raw score is the sum of 5 raw sub-scores (attention has possible 37 points, initiation/perseveration has possible 37 points, construction has possible 6 points, conceptualization has possible 39 points, memory has possible 25 points). Total range is 0-144. Higher scores are better.	44 weeks
Change in the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15)From Baseline to 44 Weeks	The Geriatric Depression Scale - 15 is a short 15 yes or no question instrument for assessing depression in the elderly. It has been found to be particularly useful in assessing depression in Parkinson's Disease. A score of 0 to 5 is normal. A score greater than 5 suggests depression.	44 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Rochester
• Collaborators: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS); Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
• Investigators: Study Director: Tanya Simuni, MD, Northwestern University; Study Director: Karl Kieburtz, MD MPH, University of Rochester

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• NINDS Exploratory Trials in Parkinson Disease (NET-PD) FS-ZONE Investigators. Pioglitazone in early Parkinson's disease: a phase 2, multicentre, double-blind, randomised trial. Lancet Neurol. 2015 Aug;14(8):795-803. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(15)00144-1. Epub 2015 Jun 23. Erratum In: Lancet Neurol. 2015 Oct; 14(10):979.
• Carta AR, Simuni T. Thiazolidinediones under preclinical and early clinical development for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2015 Feb;24(2):219-27. doi: 10.1517/13543784.2015.963195. Epub 2014 Sep 17. Erratum In: Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2016 Aug;25(8):1005.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: March 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 1, 2014
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 3, 2010
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 18, 2011
• First Posted (Estimate): January 20, 2011

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): October 14, 2015
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 15, 2015
• Last Verified: September 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Parkinson's Disease; Biomarkers
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Parkinsonian Disorders; Basal Ganglia Diseases; Movement Disorders; Synucleinopathies; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Parkinson Disease; Hypoglycemic Agents; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Pioglitazone
• Other Study ID Numbers: FS-ZONE; 5U01NS043128-12 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)