Safety and Efficacy of Sustained Release Dalfampridine in Transverse Myelitis (Re-Launch)

Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Crossover Trial on the Safety and Efficacy of Sustained-Release Dalfampridine in Transverse Myelitis (Re-Launch)

Transverse myelitis (TM) is an inflammatory disorder of the spinal cord that leads to disabilities of gait. Dalfampridine, a sustained-release potassium inhibitor has been shown to be effective in improving gait and other neurologic functions in multiple sclerosis. Dalfampridine has the potential to improve neurologic function in patients with transverse myelitis as this rare disorder shares a similar pathogenic process with multiple sclerosis. The in a clinical trial to test the efficacy of dalfampridine in TM.

The clinical trial that the investigators propose to conduct will focus on TM and will evaluate the dalfampridine in primary neurologic outcome, 25-foot timed walk, and several secondary outcomes including valid behavioral and neurophysiological tests.

This is a re-launch of the previous trial, which now includes additional behavioral and clinical testing.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Neuromyelitis Optica; Transverse Myelitis; Idiopathic Transverse Myelitis; Myelitis NOS
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Dalfampridine; Drug: Placebo

Detailed Description

Fampridine (4-aminopyridine) is a potassium channel blocker that has been studied since the 1970s for its effect on amplifying conductivity in peripheral nerves, potentiating neurotransmitter release in muscles and increasing post-synaptic action potentials in the spinal cord. It was tested in other neurologic conditions over the next two decades and was found to have a limited therapeutic window due to the stimulation of seizures at high doses. The first randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded study of fampridine in 70 patients found significant improvements in a number of neurophysiological parameters while on fampridine compared to placebo. Since then, at least six additional studies on oral fampridine in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) were conducted and found to have some significant neurologic function. Although only a small incidence of seizure or altered mental status were reported in these studies, the concern about fampridine causing seizures remained a barrier in the acceptance of fampridine as an MS therapy in the general neurology community.

Recently, Biogen-Idec and Acorda have teamed up in the development of a sustained-release formulation of fampridine, dalfampridine, in which plasma concentrations of the drug and avoids toxic doses that lead to seizures. In two clinical trials, dalfampridine has been shown to be beneficial in two large cohorts of multiple sclerosis patients with noted improvements in gait and lower extremity muscle strength. Seizures were only seen in high doses of 20 mg or more whereas benefits were evident at the approved dose of 10 mg twice daily.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved dalfampridine for use in multiple sclerosis in 2009 based on the key study that evaluated gait by timed 25-foot walk. About 35-40% of study participants responded and this group improved their walking speed by about 20%.

The investigator's interest in dalfampridine is focused more narrowly on a subset of patients with a demyelinating disorder that is restricted to the spinal cord, transverse myelitis (TM), was not included in any previous human trials of dalfampridine. In contrast to MS, which affects the entire system, transverse myelitis affects the spinal cord and largely spares the brain. It is not associated with an increased risk of seizure.

Transverse myelitis is defined as an episode of inflammation in the spinal cord leading to disability at the level of the lesion and below. The majority of TM lesions strike the thoracic cord causing impairments in lower extremities. A single lesion is the cause of all of their symptoms. The goal of using dalfampridine in these patients is to amplify axonal conductance across the lesion. This would manifest as improved neurologic function involving the lower extremities including gait. This is a straightforward proof of concept model proving the mechanism of action of dalfampridine.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 24
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Maryland
    • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21287
      • Johns Hopkins University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 14 years to 66 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of transverse myelitis confirmed by MRI
• Gait impairment defined as a baseline timed 25-foot walk of at least 5 seconds and no more than 60 seconds.
• Age 18-70.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of any of the following concurrent conditions: spinal dural arteriovenous malformation, multiple sclerosis, infectious myelitis and recurrent transverse myelitis of any etiology. Subjects with a positive NMO-Immunoglobulin G (IgG) biomarker test will be permitted to join the study as long as the there is only a history of monophasic, and not recurrent, TM.
• History of seizure(s).
• Pregnancy or positive pregnancy test (mandatory test for all women aged 18-55 to be done at first screening visit).
• Known use or allergy to dalfampridine or any other formulation of 4-aminopyridine.
• Patients unable to walk.
• Patients with history of severe alcohol or drug abuse, severe psychiatric illness such as severe depression, poor motivational capacity, or severe language disturbances, particularly of receptive nature or with serious cognitive deficits (defined as equivalent to a mini-mental state exam score of 23 or less).
• Patients with severe uncontrolled medical problems (e.g. hypertension, cardiovascular disease, severe rheumatoid arthritis, active joint deformity of arthritic origin, active cancer or renal disease, any kind of end-stage pulmonary or cardiovascular disease, claudication, uncontrolled epilepsy or others).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Dalfampridine then Placebo; All subjects were randomized for the first double-blinded 8-week part of the study to the dalfampridine group. Then subjects were crossed over to the placebo arm for another 8 weeks.	Drug: Dalfampridine; Dalfampridine 10 mg twice daily for 8 weeks; Other Names: Ampyra; Drug: Placebo; Placebo pill 1 tablet twice daily for 8 weeks; Other Names: Sugar pill
Experimental: Placebo the Dalfampridine; All subjects were randomized for the first double-blinded 8-week part of the study to the placebo arm. Then subjects were crossed over to the dalfampridine arm for another 8 weeks.	Drug: Dalfampridine; Dalfampridine 10 mg twice daily for 8 weeks; Other Names: Ampyra; Drug: Placebo; Placebo pill 1 tablet twice daily for 8 weeks; Other Names: Sugar pill

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Walking Speed During Timed 25-foot Walk	In this cross-over study, walking speed was recorded 4 times for each subject while in both the dalfampridine and placebo arms. The results average all of the times while on damfampridine and compares them to the average of the times while on placebo.	Every 2 weeks during each 8 week intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Upper and Lower Extremity Muscle Strength Measurements	Upper and lower extremity muscle strength measurements, using a hand held dynamometer, at the beginning and end of each arm. Change in muscle strength between baseline and end (8 weeks) of each intervention are provided.	baseline and end (8 weeks) of each intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Johns Hopkins University
• Collaborators: Acorda Therapeutics

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: February 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 8, 2017
• Study Completion (Actual): January 8, 2017

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 16, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 16, 2014
• First Posted (Estimate): June 18, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 17, 2018
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 14, 2018
• Last Verified: March 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Transverse myelitis
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Infections; Immune System Diseases; Neoplasms; Demyelinating Autoimmune Diseases, CNS; Autoimmune Diseases of the Nervous System; Demyelinating Diseases; Autoimmune Diseases; Neoplasms by Site; Eye Diseases; Central Nervous System Infections; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Spinal Cord Diseases; Nervous System Neoplasms; Optic Nerve Diseases; Cranial Nerve Diseases; Paraneoplastic Syndromes, Nervous System; Paraneoplastic Syndromes; Optic Neuritis; Neuromyelitis Optica; Myelitis; Myelitis, Transverse; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Membrane Transport Modulators; Potassium Channel Blockers; 4-Aminopyridine
• Other Study ID Numbers: NA_00090799