GLP-1 Agonism for Blocking Cocaine Euphoria and Self-Administration

February 14, 2023 updated by: Gustavo Angarita, Yale University
The investigators plan to explore the effects of acute pre-treatment with the glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist, exenatide versus placebo, on the subjective (e.g., euphoric) and behavioral effects (e.g., self-administration) of cocaine in experienced, non-treatment seeking users of the drug. Additionally, the investigators plan to explore the effects of sub-chronic (5-day) treatment with exenatide as compared to placebo on the subjective (e.g., euphoric) and behavioral (self-administration) effects of cocaine in experienced, non-treatment seeking users of the drug.

Study Overview

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

13

Phase

  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Connecticut
      • New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06519
        • Connecticut Mental Health Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 50 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. age 18 - 50 years,
  2. voluntary, written, informed consent,
  3. physically healthy by medical history, physical, neurological, ECG, and laboratory examinations,
  4. DSM-IV criteria for Cocaine Abuse (305.60) or Cocaine Dependence (304.20)
  5. recent street cocaine use in excess of amounts to be administered in the current study,
  6. intravenous and/or smoked (crack/ freebase) use,
  7. positive urine toxicology screen for cocaine,
  8. for females, non-lactating, no longer of child-bearing potential (or agree to practice effective contraception during the study), and a negative serum pregnancy (β-HCG) test.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Other drug dependence (except nicotine) as determined by urine toxicology or interview
  2. < 1 year of cocaine dependence,
  3. a primary major DSM-IV psychiatric diagnosis (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, etc.), unrelated to cocaine,
  4. a history of significant medical (cardiovascular) or neurological illness, ie prior myocardial infarction, current active symptoms of cardiovascular disease / angina, evidence of cocaine-related cardiovascular symptoms, prior arrhythmias or need for cardiovascular resuscitation, neurovascular events such as transient ischemic attacks, stroke, and/or seizures Parameters re: elevations in vital signs are now explicitly specified under "Safety features built into our one-day self-administration paradigm).
  5. current use of psychotropic and/or potentially psychoactive prescription medication,
  6. seeking treatment for drug abuse/dependence (for experimental cocaine component),
  7. physical or laboratory (β-HCG) evidence of pregnancy.
  8. current use of any medication (prescription or over-the-counter) determined to cause potential drug interactions by the study physicians.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: acute pre-treatment with exenatide
This arm plans to explore the effects of acute pre-treatment with the glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist, exenatide vs. placebo, on the subjective (e.g., euphoric) and behavioral effects (e.g., self-administration) of cocaine in experienced, non-treatment seeking users of the drug. We propose to study 24 subjects in a within-subject (two-day, randomized, placebo-controlled) human laboratory study of self-regulated cocaine administration. We hypothesize that acute treatment with exenatide will reduce cocaine-induced euphoria and self-regulated cocaine administration as compared to placebo
Other Names:
  • byetta
Experimental: sub-chronic (5 day) treatment with exenatide
This arm plans to explore the effects of sub-chronic (5-day) treatment with exenatide as compared to placebo on the subjective (e.g., euphoric) and behavioral (self-administration) effects of cocaine in experienced, non-treatment seeking users of the drug. Upon completion of arm 1, subjects may opt to be randomized to five days of treatment with either exenatide or placebo, followed by a one-day human laboratory study of self-regulated cocaine administration. We hypothesize that subjects treated with exenatide (up to N=12) will demonstrate decreased self-regulated cocaine administration as compared to subjects treated with placebo (up to N=12).
Other Names:
  • byetta
Placebo Comparator: acute pre-treatment with placebo
This arm plans to explore the effects of acute pre-treatment with the glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist, exenatide vs. placebo, on the subjective (e.g., euphoric) and behavioral effects (e.g., self-administration) of cocaine in experienced, non-treatment seeking users of the drug. We propose to study 24 subjects in a within-subject (two-day, randomized, placebo-controlled) human laboratory study of self-regulated cocaine administration. We hypothesize that acute treatment with exenatide will reduce cocaine-induced euphoria and self-regulated cocaine administration as compared to placebo
Placebo Comparator: sub-chronic (5 day) treatment with placebo
This arm plans to explore the effects of sub-chronic (5-day) treatment with exenatide as compared to placebo on the subjective (e.g., euphoric) and behavioral (self-administration) effects of cocaine in experienced, non-treatment seeking users of the drug. Upon completion of arm 1, subjects may opt to be randomized to five days of treatment with either exenatide or placebo, followed by a one-day human laboratory study of self-regulated cocaine administration. We hypothesize that subjects treated with exenatide (up to N=12) will demonstrate decreased self-regulated cocaine administration as compared to subjects treated with placebo (up to N=12).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Mean cocaine inter-infusion interval
Time Frame: 3 hours
Subjects will complete a 90 minute long "binge" cocaine self administration session (16mg/70kg). Mean inter-infusion intervals (time between cocaine boluses) will then be averaged by adding all intervals within the session and dividing by 90. Intervals during which pump access is withheld (due to increase in vital signs) will be excluded. Data on cocaine self-administration (total number of responses, infusions, and III), subjective effects, and vital signs will be checked for normality prior to analysis using Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistics and normal probability plots. The significance level for all statistical tests will be set at p<.05.
3 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

November 1, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2018

Study Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2018

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 24, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 26, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

November 27, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 16, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 14, 2023

Last Verified

February 1, 2023

More Information

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.

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