A Safety and Tolerability Study of JNJ-54861911 in Participants With Early Alzheimer's Disease

A Phase 2a Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group, Multi-center Study Investigating the Safety and Tolerability of JNJ-54861911 in Subjects With Early Alzheimer's Disease

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the long-term safety and tolerability of JNJ-54861911 during 6 months of treatment in participants with early (predementia) alzheimer's disease (AD [degenerative disease of the brain characterized by the insidious onset of dementia, impairment of memory, judgment, attention span, and problem solving skills are followed by severe apraxias and a global loss of cognitive abilities]).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Alzheimer's Disease
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: JNJ-54861911, 10 milligram (mg); Drug: JNJ-54861911, 50 mg; Drug: Placebo

Detailed Description

This is a double-blind (neither the researchers nor the participants know what treatment the participant is receiving), placebo-controlled (an inactive substance; a pretend treatment [with no drug in it] that is compared in a clinical trial with a drug to test if the drug has a real effect), randomized (study drug assigned by chance), multi-center (when more than one hospital or medical school team work on a medical research study), parallel-group study. The study consists of 3 Parts; Screening Phase of 90 days, double-blind Treatment Phase of 6 months and Follow-up Phase of 7 to 28 days following the last dose in Month 6. Eligible participants in the early (predementia) AD spectrum will be randomized to either Treatment group 1, 2 or placebo and participants who previously participated in study 54861911ALZ1005 will be enrolled in this study and will receive the same treatment as in study 54861911ALZ1005. The study duration for each participant will be approximately 10 months. Blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples will be collected to evaluate the plasma pharmacokinetics of JNJ-54861911, as well as amyloid beta fragments. Participants' safety will be monitored throughout the study, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cognitive measures.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 114
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Belgium
  • Gent, Belgium
  • Hoboken, Belgium
• France
  • Montpellier Cedex 5, France
  • Paris, France
  • Toulouse, France
• Germany
  • Essen, Germany
  • Halle, Germany
  • Hamburg N/A, Germany
  • Homburg, Germany
  • Luebeck, Germany
  • Tübingen, Germany
  • Ulm, Germany
• Netherlands
  • Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Spain
  • Barcelona, Spain
  • Madrid, Spain
  • Terrasa Barcelona N/A, Spain
  • Valencia, Spain
• Sweden
  • Mölndal, Sweden
  • Stockholm, Sweden

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 50 years to 85 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Participants in the early alzheimer's disease (AD) spectrum must have a global Clinical Dementia Rating Scale( CDR) score of 0 (asymptomatic at risk for AD) to 0.5 prodromal AD (pAD) inclusive
• Participants must have evidence of amyloid pathology by means of either: a) low Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) ABeta 1-42 levels at screening; b) a positive amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) scan at screening (depending on the site's PET capability) by visual read
• Participants must have a body mass index between 18 and 35 kilogram per square meter (kg/m^2), inclusive, at screening
• Participants must be otherwise healthy for their age group or medically stable with or without medication on the basis of physical examination, medical history, vital signs, and 12-lead ECG performed at screening or at baseline. If there are abnormalities, they must be consistent with the underlying illness in the study population and not a potential cause of cognitive impairment, with written concurrence with the sponsor's medical monitor
• Before randomization, a woman must be not of childbearing potential: postmenopausal (greater than or equal to [>=] 50 years of age with amenorrhea for at least 12 months; permanently sterilized [e.g., tubal occlusion, hysterectomy, bilateral salpingectomy]); or otherwise be incapable of pregnancy. In case of questionable status qualified personal of the sponsor should be consulted to decide on the potential for inclusion of the participant

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participant has evidence of any brain disease, other than potential very early signs of AD (e.g. mild hippocampal atrophy) or typical age-related changes (e.g. mild white matter hyperintensity on magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) or any other abnormality (e.g. folic acid/Vitamin B12 deficiency) that could explain a possible cognitive deficit (including, but not limited to vascular encephalopathy or strokes including lacuna's (as imaged by cerebral MRI) and Major Depression (as defined by most current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria)
• Participant has evidence of familial autosomal dominant AD. (Inclusion can be made upon written confirmation by sponsor, when the mutation is known and deemed not to be modulating Beta-secretase [BACE] cleavage)
• Participant with history or presence of significant depression as defined by the most current DSM criteria
• Participant has a clinically significant abnormal physical- or neurological examination, vital signs at screening or baseline (Day 1 predose)
• Participant has a history of or current liver or renal insufficiency; clinically significant cardiac, vascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, endocrine, hematologic, rheumatologic, psychiatric, or metabolic disturbances (e.g. unstable situation needing monitoring or regular dose adaptations)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: DOUBLE

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: Treatment Group 1; Participants will self-administer JNJ-54861911, two tablets of 5 milligram (mg) each for a total of 10 mg, orally, once daily, from Day 1 until Month 6.	Drug: JNJ-54861911, 10 milligram (mg); Participants will self-administer JNJ-54861911, two tablets of 5 mg each for a total of 10 mg, orally, once daily, from Day 1 until Month 6 in treatment group 1.
EXPERIMENTAL: Treatment Group 2; Participants will self-administer JNJ-54861911, two tablets of 25 mg each for a total of 50 mg, orally, once daily, from Day 1 until Month 6.	Drug: JNJ-54861911, 50 mg; Participants will self-administer JNJ-54861911, two tablets of 25 mg each for a total of 50 mg, orally, once daily, from Day 1 until Month 6 in treatment group 2.
PLACEBO_COMPARATOR: Placebo; Placebo matched to JNJ-54861911, orally, once daily, from Day 1 until Month 6.	Drug: Placebo; Placebo matched to JNJ-54861911, orally, once daily, from Day 1 until Month 6 in placebo group.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Participants With Adverse Events (AEs) or Serious Adverse Events (SAEs)	An AE is any untoward medical occurrence in a participant who received study drug without regard to possibility of causal relationship. An SAE is an AE resulting in any of the following outcomes or deemed significant for any other reason: death; initial or prolonged inpatient hospitalization; lifethreatening experience (immediate risk of dying); persistent or significant disability/incapacity; congenital anomaly.	up to 10 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Relationship Between Dose and Exposure of JNJ-54861911 With Safety	Plasma and, if possible, CSF measurements will be taken to measure the concentration of JNJ-54861911. Population pharmacokinetic modeling (statistical modeling) will be used to derive individual pharmacokinetic parameters (e.g. Cmax, AUCtau, Tmax) in plasma and, if possible, in CSF. Incidence of adverse events and their timing of onset will be examined with regard to these concentrations to assess potential relationships between safety and exposure.	Month 1 up to Month 6
Percent Change From Baseline in Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Amyloid Beta (ABeta) (1-37, 1-38, 1-40, 1-42) Levels and Soluble Amyloid Precursor Protein (sAPP) Fragments (sAPP-alpha, sAPP-beta), Total sAPP Levels	The CSF samples will be obtained for measuring levels of different ABeta fragments such as ABeta 1-37, ABeta 1-38, ABeta 1-40, ABeta 1-42. ABeta fragments of different length are produced by cleavage of the APP by beta-secretase (BACE) and the gamma-secretase complex in the brain and excreted into CSF. For participants, who participated previously in study 54861911ALZ1005, the baseline CSF sample taken during that study may be used as baseline in this study.	Baseline and Month 6
Percent Change From Baseline in Plasma ABeta 1-40 Levels and sAPP Fragments (sAPP-alpha, sAPP-beta), Total sAPP Levels	Plasma samples will be obtained for measuring levels of different ABeta fragments such as ABeta 1-37, ABeta 1-38, ABeta 1-40, ABeta 1-42. ABeta fragments of different length are produced by cleavage of the APP by beta-secretase (BACE) and the gamma-secretase complex in the different peripheral tissues, including white blood cells and can be measured in Plasma.	Baseline and Month 6 (Day 168)
Relationship Between Changes in CSF and Plasma ABeta Species and sAPP Fragments With Safety	ABeta species and sAPP fragments in plasma and CSF will be measured. Incidence of adverse events and their timing of onset will be examined with regard to these concentrations to assess potential relationships between safety and changes in the ABeta species and sAPP fragments.	Month 1 up to Month 6
Maximum Plasma Concentration (Cmax) of JNJ-54861911	The Cmax is the maximum observed plasma concentration.	Pre-dose on Day 1, post-dose on Day 28, 56, 84, 112, 140 and 168
Time to Reach the Maximum Plasma or CSF concentration (Tmax)	The Tmax is the time to reach the maximum plasma or CSF concentration.	Pre-dose on Day 1, post-dose on Day 28, 56, 84, 112, 140 and 168
Area Under the Plasma/CSF Concentration-time Curve From Time 0 to tau Hours Post Dosing (AUCtau)	AUCtau is the area under the plasma/CSF concentration-time curve from time 0 to tau hours post dosing. Time tau is the dosing interval.	Pre-dose on Day 1, post-dose on Day 28, 56, 84, 112, 140 and 168

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Janssen Research & Development, LLC

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Novak G, Streffer JR, Timmers M, Henley D, Brashear HR, Bogert J, Russu A, Janssens L, Tesseur I, Tritsmans L, Van Nueten L, Engelborghs S. Long-term safety and tolerability of atabecestat (JNJ-54861911), an oral BACE1 inhibitor, in early Alzheimer's disease spectrum patients: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study and a two-period extension study. Alzheimers Res Ther. 2020 May 14;12(1):58. doi: 10.1186/s13195-020-00614-5.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: November 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): June 1, 2016
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): June 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 6, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 6, 2014
• First Posted (ESTIMATE): October 9, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): March 3, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 1, 2017
• Last Verified: March 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Alzheimer's Disease; Placebo; JNJ-54861911
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Neurocognitive Disorders; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Dementia; Tauopathies; Alzheimer Disease
• Other Study ID Numbers: CR105240; 54861911ALZ2002 (OTHER: Janssen Research & Development, LLC); 2014-002159-24 (EUDRACT_NUMBER)