Efficacy and Safety of Paracetamol, Chlorpheniramine and Phenylephrine in the Treatment of Common Cold and Flu Syndrome

Evaluation of the Efficacy and Safety of Fixed Combination of Paracetamol, Chlorpheniramine and Phenylephrine in the Treatment of Symptomatic Common Cold and Flu Syndrome in Adults

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a fixed combination of paracetamol, phenylephrine and chlorpheniramine in symptomatic treatment of common cold and flu-like illness in adults in a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. The investigators included 146 healthy study subjects aged between 18 and 60 years who presented flu or common cold moderate to severe onset of less than 3 days (72 hours). After clinical and laboratory evaluation were randomized to receive active drug or placebo, five capsules a day, every 4 hours for 48-72h.The outcomes to assess the effectiveness involve the measurement of symptom scores, overall duration of symptoms, return to usual activities, use of rescue medication, improvement of the fever.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Flu
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Active; Drug: Placebo

Detailed Description

The upper respiratory infections are frequent in the population, and its treatment, in most cases involves the use of symptomatic drugs. Paracetamol is used as an analgesic and antipyretic, whereas chlorpheniramine and phenylephrine is an antihistamine with a vasoconstrictor decongestant function. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a fixed combination of paracetamol, phenylephrine and chlorpheniramine in symptomatic treatment of common cold and flu-like illness in adults in a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 146
• Phase: Phase 3

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 14 years to 56 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Men and women between 18 and 60;
• Presented symptoms of recent onset, for more than 6 hours and less than 72 hours, characterizing one of the following conditions:

the common cold, which consists of at least 2 symptoms among the 10 following: sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal congestion, headache, muscle pain, discomfort in the throat, sore throat, dysphonia, cough, fever, the latter being of moderate to severe intensity through a symptom severity scale of 4 points (0 = none, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate, 3 = severe).

the flu syndrome, which consists of fever of at least 38.1 ° C and headache of moderate or severe intensity or myalgia / arthralgia moderate or severe using a scale of severity of symptoms of 4 points (0 = none, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate, 3 = severe).

• Adequate contraception if women of childbearing age.
• Ability to not use any other drugs for the treatment of clinical symptoms, except in cases of urgency, and immediate communication with the investigator, patients with chronic diseases being treated with monotherapy, stable over the past three months, could be included.
• Good understanding capacity and collaboration.
• Compliance with the informed consent form had been signed.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant women or nursing mothers
• Known hypersensitivity to components of the formula of anti-flu drug
• Use of alcohol or illicit drug use
• Use of monoamine oxidase inhibitors or barbiturates
• Diagnosis of seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis in activity
• Presenting the diagnosis of any disease activity in acute or chronic disease exacerbated (uncompensated), including hypertension, ischemic heart disease, narrow-angle glaucoma, symptomatic prostatic hyperplasia, chronic renal failure, liver diseases, infectious tracheobronchitis presumably bacterial pneumonia, pharyngitis strep, asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and any disease or condition that in the opinion of the investigator can modify the results of their study is not due to the drug under investigation or that puts the patient at significant risk;
• Clinical evidence of immunosuppression;
• Patients who received influenza vaccine for the week prior to inclusion
• Patients who in the opinion of the attending physician and / or the investigator may need to receive antiviral drugs for treatment of infection with influenza virus A or B (eg, amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir, zanamivir)
• Patients who in the opinion of the attending physician and / or the investigator need receive antibacterial drugs for the treatment of acute respiratory infection
• Use of drugs prior to inclusion by time intervals of less than two doses of these drugs (in the case of associations, considered as the reference half-life longer): analgesics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticoids and other immunosuppressants, antihistamines, Topical and systemic decongestants, and any medication that in the opinion of the investigator can modify the results of their study is not due to the drug under investigation or by an interaction that place the patient at significant risk
• Participation in another clinical research for less than a year.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Placebo	Drug: Placebo; 1 capsule administered in four 4-hour period of wakefulness in between at 07:00 and 23:00 (five daily doses) for two or three consecutive days; Other Names: Placebo Comparator Flu
Active Comparator: Paracetamol,Chlorpheniramin,Phenylephrin	Drug: Active; 1 capsule de active (fixed combination of acetaminophen, chlorpheniramine and phenylephrine) administered in four 4-hour period of wakefulness in between at 07:00 and 23:00 (five daily doses) for two or three consecutive days; Other Names: Active Flu

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Symptom score	We assessed symptoms of common cold or flu-like illness with symptoms of global scale for assessing efficacy in clinical trial. The scale consists of 10 symptoms (sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal congestion, headache, muscle pain, discomfort in the throat, sore throat, dysphonia, cough and fever). We used a Likert scale of intensity of 4 points where 0 no symptoms, 1 mild symptom, 2 moderate symptom, 3 severe symptom intensity.Overall duration of symptoms. Return to normal activity. Use of rescue medication for relief of symptoms. Improves fever by reducing the axillary temperature below 38.1 ° C	72 hours

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Adverse events	The safety of the product will be accompanied by subjective report of patients, the emergence of adverse effects such as drowsiness, nausea, eye pain, dizziness and palpitations. In addition, there will be accompanied by clinical laboratory parameters.	72 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre
• Investigators: Study Director: Luis Felipe C Schmidt, MD, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre; Study Director: Marisa B Costa, MS, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul; Principal Investigator: Paulo D Piccon, Prof. Dr., Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) / Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Picon PD, Costa MB, da Veiga Picon R, Fendt LC, Suksteris ML, Saccilotto IC, Dornelles AD, Schmidt LF. Symptomatic treatment of the common cold with a fixed-dose combination of paracetamol, chlorphenamine and phenylephrine: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. BMC Infect Dis. 2013 Nov 22;13:556. doi: 10.1186/1471-2334-13-556.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: May 1, 2009
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 1, 2009
• Study Completion (Actual): November 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 15, 2011
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 6, 2011
• First Posted (Estimate): July 8, 2011

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): November 28, 2011
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 24, 2011
• Last Verified: November 1, 2011

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Symptomatic treatment; Common Cold; flu syndrome
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Infections; Respiratory Tract Infections; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Picornaviridae Infections; Orthomyxoviridae Infections; Influenza, Human; Common Cold
• Other Study ID Numbers: 05-492