A Study of Balovaptan in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder With a 2-Year Open-Label Extension

A Phase III, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Efficacy, and Safety Study of Balovaptan in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder With a 2-Year Open-Label Extension

This study will evaluate the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of 10 mg of oral administration balovaptan once a day (QD) compared with matching placebo in adults (18 years and older) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Placebo; Drug: Balovaptan

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 322
• Phase: Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • British Columbia
    • Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, V1Y 1Z9
      • Okanagan Clinical Trials
  • Ontario
    • East York, Ontario, Canada, M4G 1R8
      • Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital; Autism Research Centre
    • London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 4G5
      • University of Western Ontario
  • Quebec
    • Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H4A 3J1
      • McGill University Health Centre - Glen Site
• France
  • Bordeaux, France, 33076
    • Hopital Charles Perrens; Centre de Ressources Autisme Aquitaine
  • LYON Cedex, France, 69003
    • Hospices Civils de Lyon; Centre d'Investigation Clinique Pédiatrique
  • Sotteville Les Rouen, France, 76300
    • Centre hospitalier du Rouvray; CRAHN Centre de Ressources Autisme Haute-Normandie
• Italy
  • Lombardia
    • Pavia, Lombardia, Italy, 27100
      • ASST di Pavia; Dip. di Scienze del Sistema Nervoso e del Comportamento
    • Piacenza, Lombardia, Italy, 29121
      • AUSL di Piacenza; Psichiatria di Collegamento
  • Piemonte
    • Torino, Piemonte, Italy, 10138
      • ASL TO2; Centro Pilota Regione Piemonte - Dip. Salute Mentale
  • Sicilia
    • Catania, Sicilia, Italy, 95123
      • A.O.U. Policlinico - V. Emanuele - P.O. Gaspare Rodolico; Dip. Terapia integrata disturbi resistenti
• Spain
  • Barcelona, Spain, 08035
    • Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron; Sevicio de Psiquiatría
  • Madrid, Spain, 28009
    • Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañon; Servicio de Psiquiatria del niño y del adolescente
  • Valladolid, Spain, 47012
    • Hospital Universitario Rio Hortega; Departamento de Psiquiatria
  • Barcelona
    • Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain, 08221
      • Hospital Mutua de Terrassa; Departamento de Psiquiatria
• United Kingdom
  • Edinburgh, United Kingdom, EH4 2XU
    • Western General Hospital; Wellcome Trust CRF
  • Glasgow, United Kingdom, G51 4TF
    • Queen Elizabeth University Hospital; Clinical Research Facility
  • London, United Kingdom, SE5 9RS
    • Kings College Hospital; Kings Clinical Research Facility
  • London, United Kingdom, W1G 9JF
    • RE:Cognition Health; RE:Cognition Health
• United States
  • Alabama
    • Dothan, Alabama, United States, 36303
      • Harmonex Neuroscience Research
  • Arizona
    • Phoenix, Arizona, United States, 85006
      • Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center
  • Arkansas
    • Rogers, Arkansas, United States, 72758
      • Woodland Research Northwest, LLC
  • California
    • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095
      • University of California , Los Angeles (UCLA); Child, Adolescent Psychiatry
    • San Diego, California, United States, 92108
      • PCSD Feighner Research
    • San Francisco, California, United States, 94115
      • University of California at San Francisco
  • Colorado
    • Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, 80910
      • MCB Clinical Research Centers
  • Connecticut
    • New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06519-1124
      • Yale University / Yale-New Haven Hospital
  • Florida
    • Gainesville, Florida, United States, 32607
      • Sarkis Clinical Trials
    • Orlando, Florida, United States, 32803
      • APG- Advanced Psychiatric Group
    • Palmetto Bay, Florida, United States, 33157
      • IMIC Inc.
  • Illinois
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60612
      • Rush University Medical Center
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60637
      • Uni of Chicago; Centre For Advanced Medicine
  • Louisiana
    • Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States, 70601
      • Lake Charles Clinical Trials, LLC
  • Maryland
    • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21287
      • The Johns Hopkins Hospital
  • Massachusetts
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114
      • Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Minnesota
    • Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55414
      • University of Minnesota Medical Center-Fairview
  • Missouri
    • Saint Louis, Missouri, United States, 63132
      • Millennium Psychiatric Associates, LLC
  • New York
    • New York, New York, United States, 10019
      • Hapworth Research Inc.
    • New York, New York, United States, 10032
      • Center for Autism and the Developing Brain
    • Orangeburg, New York, United States, 10962
      • Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research
    • Staten Island, New York, United States, 10312
      • Richmond Behavioral Associates
  • Ohio
    • Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44106
      • University Hospitals
    • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43210
      • Ohio State University
  • Oklahoma
    • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, 73116
      • Cutting Edge Research Group
  • Pennsylvania
    • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15203
      • UPMC Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic
  • Tennessee
    • Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37212
      • Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Department of Psychiatry
  • Texas
    • Austin, Texas, United States, 78759
      • BioBehavioral Research of Austin, PC
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77090
      • Red Oak Psychiatry Associates, PA
  • Utah
    • Orem, Utah, United States, 84058
      • Aspen Clinical Research
  • Washington
    • Bellevue, Washington, United States, 98007
      • Northwest Clinical Research Center
    • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98105
      • Seattle Children's Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Subject meets the DSM-5 criteria for ASD for an autism diagnosis and is confirmed using ADOS-2 criteria
• SRS-2, proxy version, total t-score >=66 at screening
• A full scale IQ score >=70 on the WASI®-II
• Subject has an appropriate study partner, in the opinion of the investigator
• For women of childbearing potential: agreement to remain abstinent or use a contraceptive method with a failure rate of <1% per year during the treatment period and for at least 28 days after the last dose of study drug
• Treatment with permitted medications (at a stable dose for 12 weeks before screening) and behavioral therapy regimens (regimens stable for 6 weeks before screening), with the intent that such treatments remain stable throughout the study and with no expected changes before the Week 24 visit

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnancy or breastfeeding, or intention to become pregnant during the study
• Previous initiation of new or major change in psychosocial intervention within 6 weeks prior to screening
• Unstable or uncontrolled clinically significant affective or psychotic disorders and/or neurologic disorder that may interfere with the assessment of safety or efficacy endpoints
• Substance use disorders during the last 12 months
• Significant risk for suicidal behavior, in the opinion of the investigator
• Epilepsy or seizure disorder considered not well controlled within the past 6 months or changes in anticonvulsive therapy within the last 6 months
• Clinical diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy
• Within the last 2 years, unstable or clinically significant cardiovascular disease
• Uncontrolled hypertension
• Unexplained syncopal episode within the last 12 months
• Confirmed elevation above upper limit of normal of CK-MB, high sensitivity cardiac troponin T, cardiac troponin I, and/or N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide
• Positive serology results for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody, or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) 1 or 2
• History of coagulopathies, bleeding disorders, blood dyscrasias, hematological malignancies, myelosuppression (including iatrogenic), or current major bleeding event
• Concomitant disease or condition that could interfere with, or treatment of which might interfere with, the conduct of the study, or what would, in the opinion of the investigator, pose an unacceptable risk to the subject in this study
• Confirmed clinically significant abnormality in parameters of hematology
• Confirmed clinically significant abnormality in parameters of clinical chemistry, coagulation, or urinalysis
• Medical history of malignancy, if not considered cured

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Placebo	Drug: Placebo; Participants will receive matching placebo.
Experimental: Balovaptan	Drug: Balovaptan; Participants will receive 10 mg of oral administration balovaptan once a day (QD).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change From Baseline at Week 24 on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (Vineland-II) Two-domain Composite (2DC) Score.	Vineland™-II Adaptive Behavior Scales 2-Domain Composite (2DC) Score is defined as mean of the Communication domain standard score & Socialization domain standard score. If any of the 2 individual domain standard scores is missing 2DC score is not computed. Vineland™-II is an instrument that measures communication, daily living skills, socialization, motor skills and maladaptive behavior of individuals with developmental disabilities. Survey Interview Form will be administered to a subject's reliable study partner in this study, during which the rater or clinician will ask to the study partner open ended questions relating to the subject's activities and behavior. Standardized scores on the Adaptive behavior composite range from 20-160 with higher scores indicating better functioning.	Week 24

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change From Baseline at Week 12 on the Vineland-II 2DC Score	Vineland™-II Adaptive Behavior Scales 2-Domain Composite (2DC) Score is defined as mean of the Communication domain standard score & Socialization domain standard score. If any of the 2 individual domain standard scores is missing 2DC score is not computed. Vineland™-II is an instrument that measures communication, daily living skills, socialization, motor skills and maladaptive behavior of individuals with developmental disabilities. Survey Interview Form will be administered to a subject's reliable study partner in this study, during which the rater or clinician will ask to the study partner open ended questions relating to the subject's activities and behavior. Standardized scores on the Adaptive behavior composite range from 20-160 with higher scores indicating better functioning.	Week 12
Change From Baseline at Weeks 12 and 24 in the Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL) Inventory Generic Core Scales, Version 4.0, on Summary and Total Scores	The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory PedsQL™4.0 Generic Core Scale assessment consists of a 23 item questionnaire encompassing 4 core scale domains: Physical Functioning (8 items); Emotional Functioning (5 items); Social Functioning (5 items); and School Functioning (5 items). Items are scored on a 5 point Likert-type response scale (0=never a problem; 1=almost never a problem; 2=sometimes a problem; 3=often a problem; and 4=almost always a problem). Once scored, items will be reverse scored and linearly transformed to a 0-100 scale (0=100, 1=75, 2=50, 3=25, 4=0), so that higher scores indicate better health-related quality of life.	Weeks 12 and 24
Change From Baseline at Weeks 12 and 24 in the Vineland-II Adaptive Behavior Composite Standard Score	The Vineland-II is an instrument that measures communication, daily living skills, socialization, motor skills (only in children up to 6 years) and maladaptive (not assessed in this study) behavior of individuals with developmental disabilities. The Survey Interview Form (i.e., semi -structured interview) will be administered to a subject's reliable study partner in this study, during which the rater or clinician will ask to the study partner open ended questions relating to the subject's activities and behavior. Domain scores will be obtained for the individual domains of Socialization, Communication, Daily Living Skills, and motor skills (up to 6 years only) and used to calculate the Vineland-II Adaptive Behavior Composite score. Standardized scores on the Adaptive behavior composite range from 20-160 with higher scores indicating better functioning. Only descriptive statistics presented instead of the planned estimated due to the early discontinuation of the study due to futility.	Weeks 12 and 24
Change From Baseline at Week 12 and 24 on the Vineland-II Socialization Domain Standard Score	The Vineland-II is an instrument that measures communication, daily living skills, socialization, motor skills (only in children up to 6 years) and maladaptive (not assessed in this study) behavior of individuals with developmental disabilities. The Survey Interview Form (i.e., semi -structured interview) will be administered to a subject's reliable study partner in this study, during which the rater or clinician will ask to the study partner open ended questions relating to the subject's activities and behavior. Domain scores will be obtained for the individual domains of Socialization, Communication, Daily Living Skills, and motor skills (up to 6 years only) and used to calculate the Vineland-II Adaptive Behavior Composite score. Standardized scores on the Adaptive behavior composite range from 20-160 with higher scores indicating better functioning. Only descriptive statistics presented instead of the planned estimand due to the early discontinuation of the study due to futility.	Baseline, Weeks 12 and 24
Change From Baseline at Weeks 12 and 24 on the Vineland-II Communication Domain Standard Score	The Vineland-II is an instrument that measures communication, daily living skills, socialization, motor skills (only in children up to 6 years) and maladaptive (not assessed in this study) behavior of individuals with developmental disabilities. The Survey Interview Form (i.e., semi -structured interview) will be administered to a subject's reliable study partner in this study, during which the rater or clinician will ask to the study partner open ended questions relating to the subject's activities and behavior. Domain scores will be obtained for the individual domains of Socialization, Communication, Daily Living Skills, and motor skills (up to 6 years only) and used to calculate the Vineland-II Adaptive Behavior Composite score. Standardized scores on the Adaptive behavior composite range from 20-160 with higher scores indicating better functioning.	Weeks 12 and 24
Change From Baseline at Weeks 12 and 24 on the Vineland-II Daily Living Skills Domain Standard Score	The Vineland-II is an instrument that measures communication, daily living skills, socialization, motor skills (only in children up to 6 years) and maladaptive (not assessed in this study) behavior of individuals with developmental disabilities. The Survey Interview Form (i.e., semi -structured interview) will be administered to a subject's reliable study partner in this study, during which the rater or clinician will ask to the study partner open ended questions relating to the subject's activities and behavior. Domain scores will be obtained for the individual domains of Socialization, Communication, Daily Living Skills, and motor skills (up to 6 years only) and used to calculate the Vineland-II Adaptive Behavior Composite score. Standardized scores on the Adaptive behavior composite range from 20-160 with higher scores indicating better functioning. Only descriptive statistics presented instead of the planned estimated due to the early discontinuation of the study due to futility.	Weeks 12 and 24
Change From Baseline in Severity of Clinical Impressions as Measured by Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S)	The CGI-S reflects the rater's impression of the subject's current autism severity on a 7-point scale ranging from no symptoms (1) to very severe symptoms (7). Changes in CGI-S score were calculated as increase or decrease in absolute CGI-S scores between Baseline and Weeks 12 and 24. Percentage of participants reported for each change in score from baseline.	Weeks 12 and 24
Improvements in Clinical Impressions, as Measured by Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I)	This is a 7-point Likert scale that assesses improvement of the patient's condition. Scores range from the worst score of 7 (Very much worse) to the best score of 1 (Very much improved). Lower scores are better on this scale, and indicate greater improvement. Percentage of participants reported for each score.	Weeks 12 and 24
Change From Baseline at Weeks 12 and 24 in the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) Total and Domain Scores	The HAM-A is a 14-item, rater administered interview, assessing the severity of anxiety symptoms during the past 7 days. Seven items assess psychic anxiety and seven assess somatic anxiety. Each item utilizes a 5-point symptom severity response scale, ranging from none (0) to very severe (4). A total score is calculated that ranges from 0 to 56; higher scores are indicative of more severe anxiety.	Weeks 12 and 24
Proportion of Subjects With a >=6-point Improvement in Vineland-II 2DC Score	The Vineland-II is an instrument that measures communication, daily living skills, socialization, motor skills (only in children up to 6 years) and maladaptive (not assessed in this study) behavior of individuals with developmental disabilities. The Survey Interview Form (i.e., semi -structured interview) will be administered to a subject's reliable study partner in this study, during which the rater or clinician will ask to the study partner open ended questions relating to the subject's activities and behavior. Domain scores will be obtained for the individual domains of Socialization, Communication, Daily Living Skills, and motor skills (up to 6 years only) and used to calculate the Vineland-II Adaptive Behavior Composite score. Standardized scores on the Adaptive behavior composite range from 20-160 with higher scores indicating better functioning All participants who have an improvement of at least 6 points are included in the >=6 score threshold	Weeks 12 and 24
Percentage of Participants With Adverse Events	According to the ICH guideline for Good Clinical Practice, an adverse event is any untoward medical occurrence in a clinical investigation subject administered a pharmaceutical product, regardless of causal attribution. The Blinded Treatment Period continued for 24 weeks, Open Label Extension (OLE) Treatment Period continued up to 2 years. The study was pre-maturely terminated, therefore did not reach the planned end date.	Week 24 and Up to Approximately 2 Years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Hoffmann-La Roche

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Jacob S, Veenstra-VanderWeele J, Murphy D, McCracken J, Smith J, Sanders K, Meyenberg C, Wiese T, Deol-Bhullar G, Wandel C, Ashford E, Anagnostou E. Efficacy and safety of balovaptan for socialisation and communication difficulties in autistic adults in North America and Europe: a phase 3, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet Psychiatry. 2022 Mar;9(3):199-210. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00429-6. Epub 2022 Feb 10.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 8, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 4, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): July 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 12, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 12, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): April 20, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 27, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 26, 2021
• Last Verified: October 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Autistic Disorder; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive
• Other Study ID Numbers: WN39434

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No