A Trial of Directly Observed and Long-term Varenicline

Achieving Smoking Cessation Milestones in Opioid Treatment Patients: a Randomized 2 x 2 Factorial Trial of Directly Observed and Long-term Varenicline

This 2 x 2 factorial, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial will test two interventions: directly observed medication therapy, and long-term therapy with varenicline among smokers with opioid use disorder recruited from community-based, outpatient opioid treatment programs. The analytic strategy will evaluate the milestones in smoking cessation-achieving initial abstinence, preventing lapse and preventing relapse--necessary for long-term cessation, and evaluate theoretically-guided psychological and social factors and pharmacogenetic factors that influence these cessation processes.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Tobacco Use Disorder; Opioid-use Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Long-Term Varenicline; Drug: Short-Term Varenicline; Behavioral: Directly Observed Therapy; Behavioral: Self Administered Therapy

Detailed Description

Tobacco use and tobacco-related disease are highly prevalent among persons with opioid use disorders (OUD). Unfortunately, traditional evidence-based smoking cessation interventions have yielded low rates of tobacco abstinence in this group. The majority of trials evaluating smoking cessation treatment interventions among persons with OUD have relied on short-term interventions that do not account for the unique challenges faced by these smokers, specifically, establishing initial abstinence, adhering to evidence-based cessation treatments, and maintaining abstinence once active treatments cease. Long-term smoking cessation medication treatment approaches have shown promise in promoting cessation and decreasing relapse among individuals without OUD, however the applicability of extended medication approaches to smokers with OUD may be limited by poor adherence to smoking cessation medications. Though adherence to cessation medication is strongly associated with cessation success, adherence is especially challenging for persons with OUD. Opioid treatment program-based directly observed therapy (DOT) interventions improve clinical outcomes in HIV and TB, and pilot data suggest that DOT varenicline is associated with increased smoking cessation medication adherence and may increase smoking cessation rates. In this 2 x 2 factorial, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, the investigators will test two interventions: directly observed medication therapy, and long-term therapy with varenicline. The analytic strategy will evaluate the milestones in smoking cessation-achieving initial abstinence, preventing lapse and preventing relapse--necessary for long-term cessation, and evaluate theoretically-guided psychological and social factors and pharmacogenetic factors that influence these cessation processes. The investigators will recruit smokers with OUD from community-based, outpatient opioid treatment programs and test the following specific aims: (1) to test the efficacy of directly observed varenicline therapy compared to self-administered varenicline therapy on smoking cessation milestones, (2) to test the efficacy of long-term varenicline compared to short-term varenicline on smoking cessation milestones, and (3) to understand the mechanism of smoking cessation by examining the impact of theory-guided psychological and social factors and of pharmacogenetic factors on cessation milestones.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 243
• Phase: Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • Bronx, New York, United States, 10467
      • Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1) age ≥18 years old; 2) English or Spanish speaking (i.e., be able to participate in study interviews in English or Spanish); 3) current cigarette smoking (smoked at least 100 cigarettes/lifetime, smoking ≥ 5 cigarettes/day); 4) interest in quitting tobacco smoking; 5) receiving methadone or buprenorphine in the DoSA clinic one to six times weekly; 6) enrollment in a DoSA opioid treatment program ≥ 3 months; 7) stable methadone or buprenorphine dose for two weeks; 8) agreement to use contraception for the duration of the trial (among women with reproductive potential); 9) willingness to participate in all study components; and 10) ability to provide informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

1) serious or unstable disease, specifically: decompensated cirrhosis (INR≥ 1.7, albumin <2.7 g/dl or physical exam evidence of decompensated cirrhosis); severe cardiovascular disease (MI, PTCA, unstable angina, CABG, and/or serious arrhythmia in the previous 6 months); severe asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (requiring supplemental oxygen or hospitalization in past 6 months); HIV/AIDS (AIDS-defining illness or hospitalization in past 6 months); 2) creatinine clearance <30 mL/min; 3) history of seizure disorder; 4) women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or contemplating pregnancy; 5) current suicidal ideation; 6) history of suicide attempt in the past year; 7) psychiatric hospitalization in the past year; 8) current DSM V criteria for major depressive episode, current bipolar disorder, or current psychotic disorder; 9) current DSM V criteria for alcohol use disorder; or 10) use of varenicline in the past 30 days.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Long-Term Varenicline; Participants will receive 24 weeks of varenicline at standard doses (0.5 mg/day for days 1 to 3, 0.5 mg twice daily for days 4 to 7, then 1 mg twice daily)	Drug: Long-Term Varenicline; Varenicline tablet x 24 weeks; Other Names: varenicline; chantix
Active Comparator: Short-Term Varenicline; Participants will receive 12 weeks of varenicline at standard doses (0.5 mg/day for days 1 to 3, 0.5 mg twice daily for days 4 to 7, then 1 mg twice daily), followed by matching placebo twice daily through week 24.	Drug: Short-Term Varenicline; varenicline tablet for 12 weeks, followed by placebo tablet manufactured to mimic varenicline 1 mg tablet; Other Names: placebo; varenicline; chantix
Experimental: Directly Observed Therapy; Participants receiving directly observed therapy (DOT) will receive varenicline from opioid treatment program nurses at the same time as they receive methadone, as well as individually packaged take-home doses for self administration on evenings/weekends.	Behavioral: Directly Observed Therapy; Varenicline doses are administered by opioid treatment program nurses
Active Comparator: Self Administered Therapy; Patients receiving varenicline self administered therapy (SAT) will self-administer all varenicline doses.	Behavioral: Self Administered Therapy; Varenicline doses are self-administered

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Time-to-initial abstinence	Time-to-initial abstinence, defined as a 24 hour period without smoking, will be assessed as Period of ≥ 24 hour self-reported abstinence during the intervention period, will be assessed. Group mean time-to-initial abstinence will be reported.	Up to 24 weeks
Time-to-lapse	Time-to-lapse, defined as the initial occasion of cigarette smoking after abstinence, will be based on the first day during which subjects smoke, even a puff, after a period of initial abstinence. Group mean number of days to time-to-lapse will be reported.	Up to 24 weeks
Time to relapse	Time-to-relapse, defined as the return to regular cigarette use, will be based on the time first day of seven consecutive days of self-reported smoking after a period of initial abstinence. Group mean number of days to time-to-relapse will be reported.	Up to 24 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Durability of 7-day point prevalence tobacco abstinence	Durability of tobacco abstinence will be assessed using Carbon Monoxide (CO)-verified, 7-day point prevalence abstinence at week 28. Smoking abstinence in accordance with self-reported Timeline Follow Back Method (TLFB), which uses calendar prompts to assess self-reported daily patterns, and verified by expired carbon monoxide (CO) < 8 ppm, will be reported.	week 28
Durability of 7-day point prevalence tobacco abstinence	Durability of tobacco abstinence will be assessed using Carbon Monoxide (CO)-verified, 7-day point prevalence abstinence at week 52. Smoking abstinence in accordance with self-reported Timeline Follow Back Method (TLFB), which uses calendar prompts to assess self-reported daily patterns, and verified by expired carbon monoxide (CO) < 8 ppm, will be reported.	week 52
Number of Cigarettes smoked per day	Group mean of self-reported number of cigarettes smoked per day will be obtained via self-reported TLFB and summarized per group.	24 weeks
Nicotine dependence	Nicotine dependence will be assessed using Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence (FTND). FTND is a 6-item instrument designed to provide an ordinal measure of nicotine dependence related to cigarette smoking. Specifically, the FTND evaluates the quantity of cigarette consumption, the compulsion to use, and dependence. Three Yes/No items are scored as either 0 (No) or 1 (Yes). Two multiple-choice items are either scored from 0-3 or 1-3, with higher scores signifying greater nicotine dependence. A final question, "Which cigarette would you hate to give up?" with 'First in the Morning' scored as 1 and 'Any other' scored as 0. The FTND yields an overall score of 0-10. An overall score of 1-2 = "Lowest Dependence", 3-4 = "Low to Moderate Dependence", 5-7 = "Moderate Dependence", and 8+ = "High Dependence"	24 weeks
Quality of life - Physical and Mental Health (SF-36)	Quality of Life will be assessed using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 12 (SF-12). The SF-12 is a 12-item general health questionnaire, derived from the Medical Outcomes Study 36 item Short Form Survey (SF-36), is designed to have similar performance as the SF-36, while taking less time to complete. The SF-12 asks a series of questions measuring eight health domains assessing both physical (PCS-12) and mental health (MCS-12). Two summary scores are generated: a mental component score (MCS-12), and a physical component score (PCS-12). Scores for both range from 0-100 with higher scores indicating better physical and mental health functioning, respectively. A score of 50 or less on the PCS-12 has been recommended as a cut-off to determine a physical condition, while a score of 42 or less on the MCS-12 may be indicative of 'clinical depression'. Group mean scores will be reported.	24 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
• Collaborators: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); Pfizer; National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Shadi Nahvi, MD, MS, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 25, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 14, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): April 24, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 28, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 6, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): December 7, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 30, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 28, 2024
• Last Verified: August 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: varenicline; directly observed therapy; long-term pharmacotherapy
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Narcotic-Related Disorders; Tobacco Use Disorder; Opioid-Related Disorders; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Cholinergic Agents; Nicotinic Agonists; Cholinergic Agonists; Varenicline
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2016-6688; R01DA042813 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Our final dataset will include: survey and laboratory data, including demographic, medical, tobacco, and other substance use-related information about all clinical trial subjects. The final dataset will be stripped of all personal identifiers.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: After data collection and cleaning is complete.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: We will share data with qualified investigators whose research protocols have been approved by their institutions' Institutional Review Boards. Data will be made available to potential users under a NIDA-approved data-sharing agreement that ensures that: (1) data is used only for research purposes and does not identify individual participants; (2) data is handled in a secure and confidential way; and (3) data is destroyed or returned after analyses are completed.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: Yes