Dutasteride Treatment for Reducing Heavy Drinking in AUD: Predictors of Efficacy

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of dutasteride in reducing drinking and heavy drinking in men and women with alcohol use disorder. The investigators hypothesize that dutasteride 1 mg per day will be well tolerated in this patient population and that, compared to placebo treatment, dutasteride will result in a greater reduction in drinks per week and in the frequency of heavy drinking days.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Alcohol Use Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Dutasteride Capsules; Drug: Placebo Capsules

Detailed Description

Heavy drinking remains a significant public health problem and is frequently under treated. Although several medications have been shown to help patients stop or reduce drinking, additional medication options are needed as there is considerable variability in effectiveness or tolerability of existing medications for individual patients. Additionally, identification of individual subject level predictors of efficacy are needed to better personalize pharmacotherapy treatment recommendations. This study will seek to replicate and extend our results showing efficacy of a novel medication dutasteride for reducing drinking and will examine potential easily measured predictors of response.

Dutasteride is a widely prescribed medication for benign prostatic hypertrophy and androgenic hair loss that also modulates the elimination of cortisol and the production of some neuroactive steroids. Changes in the regulation of cortisol and neuroactive steroids have each been suggested as factors which may contribute to the maintenance of alcohol dependence. Data from a recently completed first randomized placebo controlled trial of dutasteride for AUD in a sample of male drinkers, indicates that dutasteride is well tolerated in alcoholics and has efficacy in helping subjects reduce drinking. Additionally, results indicate that dutasteride may be particularly helpful for patients who drink to cope with anxiety and negative emotions, a group of patients with poor response to other treatments.

This 24-week treatment study will use an innovative randomized placebo controlled step therapy design to examine the safety and efficacy of dutasteride to reduce drinking by treatment seeking women and men with hazardous levels of alcohol use. At 12-weeks placebo non-responders will transition to dutasteride and dutasteride non-responders will transition to naltrexone, an FDA approved medication with demonstrated efficacy for reducing heavy drinking. 12-week responders (reduction in drinks/week of 60% or greater compared with screening) will continue for an additional 12-weeks on their initial study medication assignment (dutasteride or placebo).

Additionally, the investigators will examine several baseline measures as predictors of dutasteride efficacy, including drinking to cope, anxiety, adverse child events, and perceived life stress as well as stress resilient vs. reactive genotypes of FKBP5 a chaperone protein involved in regulation of glucocorticoid, androgen and progesterone receptor function.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 180
• Phase: Phase 2; Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Connecticut
    • Farmington, Connecticut, United States, 06030
      • University of Connecticut Health Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 35 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• men and women age 35 to 70 yo inclusive
• have an average weekly ethanol consumption of >24 SD for men and >18 for women and at least 2 HDD/wk over the 8 weeks prior to screening
• current DSM-5 AUD
• no evidence of significant cognitive impairment
• for women of child-bearing potential (i.e., no hysterectomy, bilateral oophorectomy, or tubal ligation; or <2 years postmenopausal) must be non-lactating, practicing a reliable method of birth control and agree to continue such throughout the study and for 6 months following participation, and have a negative serum pregnancy test prior to initiation of treatment.

Exclusion Criteria:

• history of serious alcohol withdrawal symptoms (e.g., perceptual distortions, seizures, delirium, or hallucinations)
• subjects who on clinical examination by a physician are deemed to be too severely alcohol dependent to permit them to participate in a pbo-controlled study (e.g., evidence of serious adverse medical or psychiatric effects that are exacerbated by heavy drinking and would, for safety reasons, lead the physician to urge the patient to be totally abstinent and engage in an empirically supported treatment)
• current, clinically significant physical disease or abnormality on the basis of medical history, physical examination, or routine laboratory evaluation, including direct bilirubin more than 2.5 times the upper limit of normal or transaminase elevations 5 times the upper limit of normal (the investigators will not exclude patients with hypertension, diabetes, asthma or other common medical conditions, if these are adequately controlled and the patient has an ongoing relationship with a primary care provider)
• have a serious psychiatric illness on the basis of history or psychiatric examination (i.e., schizophrenia, active clinically significant mood episode of bipolar disorder or major depression, organic mental disorder, current clinically significant eating disorder, or substantial suicide or violence risk)
• have a current DSM-5 diagnosis of moderate drug use disorder (other than caffeine or nicotine dependence)
• currently taking finasteride, dutasteride, medication for treatment of AUD, or chronic use of opioid pain medication
• are considered by the investigators to be an unsuitable candidate for an investigational drug

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: dutasteride; two 0.5 mg capsules of dutasteride daily	Drug: Dutasteride Capsules; 1 mg/day oral dutasteride (2 x 0.5 mg capsules); Other Names: Avodart
Placebo Comparator: placebo capsule; inactive placebo matched in appearance with dutasteride capsules	Drug: Placebo Capsules; Placebo capsules with matching appearance as Dutasteride Capsules; Other Names: inactive placebo

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Heavy Drinking Days Per Week for Dutasteride vs. Placebo Groups	The number of heavy drinking days per week (i.e., four or more drinks in a day for women and five or more drinks in a day for men). The values listed in outcome table are the average HDD per week for the last 4 weeks (9-12) of phase 1 treatment. The generalized linear mixed model analysis considered all data from the ITT sample (75 dutasteride and 80 placebo participants)	12 weeks (from initiation to end of treatment phase 1)
Change in Drinks Per Week in Dutasteride vs. Placebo Groups	Change in the number of drinks per week during treatment phase 1 of study (week 1-12). The values listed in the outcome table are the average drinks per week for the last 4 weeks of treatment (week 9-12). The generalized linear mixed model analysis considered all data from the ITT sample (75 dutasteride and 80 placebo participants)	12 weeks (from initiation to end of treatment phase 1)

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Heavy Drinking Days Per Week for Phase 2 Naltrexone vs Dutasteride Groups	The number of heavy drinking days per week (i.e., four or more drinks in a day for women and five or more drinks in a day for men) for phase 1 non-responders (<60% reduction in drinks per week) during phase 2 comparing naltrexone 50 mg and dutasteride 1 mg daily. The values listed in outcome table are the mean change in HDD per week for the last 4 weeks (wk 21-24) of phase 2 relative to drinking at beginning of phase 2 treatment. treatment.	12 weeks (week 13 to end of treatment phase 2, week 24)
Change in Drinks Per Week in Phase 2 Naltrexone vs. Dutasteride Groups	The number of drinks per week for phase 1 non-responders (<60% reduction in drinks per week) during phase 2 comparing naltrexone 50 mg and dutasteride 1 mg daily. The values listed in outcome table are the mean change in drinks per week for the last 4 weeks (wk 21-24) relative to drinking at beginning of phase 2 treatment.	12 weeks (week 13 to end of treatment phase 2, week 24)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: UConn Health
• Collaborators: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jonathan Covault, MD, PhD, UConn Health

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 15, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 28, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): June 28, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 19, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 19, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): September 23, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 9, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 8, 2025
• Last Verified: May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Alcohol-Related Disorders; Alcoholism; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists; Enzyme Inhibitors; Steroid Synthesis Inhibitors; Hormone Antagonists; 5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors; Dutasteride
• Other Study ID Numbers: 19-147-2; P50AA027055 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

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