- ICH GCP
- US Clinical Trials Registry
- Clinical Trial NCT01475656
Efficacy of Keppra for Neonatal Seizures
Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Levetiracetam for Neonatal Seizures
The purpose of this research study is to learn how well the medication levetiracetam (Keppra) works to treat seizures in full term and premature babies. Levetiracetam is commonly used in babies with seizures at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, especially if the seizures have not been stopped by other medicines. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of levetiracetam for older children (over the age of 4) but not for infants. Even though it is not FDA approved for this age group, doctors at Cincinnati Children's use the medicine as a second drug in babies whose seizures are not stopped by phenobarbital. Some doctors are concerned that phenobarbital is not the best medicine to treat seizures in babies, so researchers are trying to study other medicines.
In this study, the investigators are looking at how well levetiracetam stops or slows down seizures in babies. The investigators are also studying the blood levels of levetiracetam to learn more about how the medicine is processed by the body and what level of medicine in the body works to stop seizures. The investigators are checking labs before and after giving the dose to make sure the medication does not cause any changes in blood counts, kidney function, or liver function. The investigators are following all of the babies in the study after hospital discharge to see if the parents notice any side effects of the medication. Babies in the study will come back to the High Risk Follow Up Clinic at Cincinnati Children's at 6 months of age for a visit with a neurologist and a neonatologist and developmental testing.
Study Overview
Study Type
Enrollment (Actual)
Contacts and Locations
Study Locations
-
-
Ohio
-
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, 45215
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
-
-
Participation Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Genders Eligible for Study
Sampling Method
Study Population
Description
Inclusion criteria:
- Gestational age ≥ 35 weeks
- Postnatal age ≤ 30 days
- Birth weight ≥ 2000 grams
- Clinical or electrographic seizures of any etiology requiring treatment with an antiepileptic medication (as per the judgment of the clinician caring for the patient)
- Parental consent obtained
Exclusion criteria:
- Infants with renal insufficiency indicated by serum creatinine > 2.0 (as part of pre-screening, labs obtained as part of routine care will be reviewed. Infants who have not had a creatinine drawn will have one drawn as part of the study after consent is obtained. If the baby requires levetiracetam emergently before the results of the creatinine are back, the dose will still be given and levels will still be drawn as per the protocol.
- Infants who have previously received levetiracetam
- Parents refuse consent
Study Plan
How is the study designed?
Design Details
Cohorts and Interventions
Group / Cohort |
Intervention / Treatment |
---|---|
Levetiracetam as first line
Babies who receive levetiracetam as a first line drug for seizures
|
Infants in the both groups will receive 50 mg/kg IV levetiracetam after (continued) seizures are EEG confirmed.
|
Phenobarbital as first line
Babies who receive phenobarbital as a first line drug for seizures and levetiracetam as a second line drug
|
Infants in the both groups will receive 50 mg/kg IV levetiracetam after (continued) seizures are EEG confirmed.
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
---|---|---|
Efficacy
Time Frame: 24 hours
|
The primary outcome is the proportion of infants who achieve electrographic seizure freedom as measured by continuous EEG monitoring for 24 hours after intravenous levetiracetam administration.
|
24 hours
|
Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
---|---|---|
Pharmacokinetics
Time Frame: 24 hours
|
Pharmacokinetic parameters and the concentration-response relationship will be determined by collecting 3 blood samples in the 24 hours after the dose (2-15 minutes post infusion, 1-2 hours post infusion, and 6-10 hours post infusion).
|
24 hours
|
Safety
Time Frame: 7 days
|
Safety will be monitored by reviewing changes in vital signs and laboratory parameters after the dose.
|
7 days
|
Tolerability
Time Frame: 6 months
|
Infants who remain on levetiracetam after discharge will be followed for 6 months to determine post-hospital treatment-emergent adverse events.
All infants in the study will receive a 6 month developmental profile using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development.
|
6 months
|
Collaborators and Investigators
Sponsor
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Stephanie L Merhar, MD, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
Study record dates
Study Major Dates
Study Start
Primary Completion (ACTUAL)
Study Completion (ACTUAL)
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Posted (ESTIMATE)
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE)
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Verified
More Information
Terms related to this study
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
- 2011-1557
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.
Clinical Trials on Neonatal Seizures
-
Richard H. HaasUniversity of California, San Diego; Food and Drug Administration (FDA); UCSF... and other collaboratorsCompletedNeonatal SeizuresUnited States
-
University College CorkUniversity College, London; Wellcome TrustCompletedNeonatal SeizuresUnited Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden
-
Children's Hospital of Fudan UniversitySecond Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University; Guangzhou Women and... and other collaboratorsTerminated
-
University of MichiganPatient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute; Massachusetts General Hospital; Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and other collaboratorsCompletedNeonatal SeizuresUnited States
-
University of RochesterTerminated
-
UCB Biopharma SRLTerminatedElectroencephalographic Neonatal SeizuresBelgium, France, Germany, Ireland, United Kingdom, Czechia, Italy
-
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation...Karolinska University Hospital; University College London Hospitals; Helsinki... and other collaboratorsCompletedNeonatal SeizuresUnited Kingdom, Sweden, Ireland, Netherlands
-
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNorfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Luton and Dunstable... and other collaboratorsRecruitingNeonatal SeizuresUnited Kingdom
-
Cairo UniversityUnknown
-
UCB Biopharma SRLRecruitingEpilepsy | Electroencephalographic Neonatal SeizuresUnited States, Australia, Canada
Clinical Trials on levetiracetam
-
Johns Hopkins UniversityNational Institute on Aging (NIA)CompletedMild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)United States
-
UCB Pharma SACompleted
-
Odense University HospitalCompleted
-
Richard H. HaasThrasher Research FundCompletedSeizures | Disorder of Fetus or NewbornUnited States
-
UCB Japan Co. Ltd.CompletedEpilepsies, PartialJapan
-
Odense University HospitalCompleted
-
Odense University HospitalCompleted
-
Oslo University HospitalUnknownSubclinical Sleep-Activated Epileptiform Activity | CSWSNorway
-
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)CompletedBipolar DisorderUnited States
-
UCB PharmaParexelCompletedHealthy Subjects | Renal ImpairmentsJapan