Exenatide for Treating Cocaine Use Disorder

Feasibility of Exenatide, a GLP-1R Agonist, for Treating Cocaine Use Disorder: A Case Series Study

The purpose of this study is to collect information about whether exenatide (Bydureon) may be safe and helpful as a medication treatment for individuals who want to stop using cocaine.

Although exenatide (Bydureon) is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, it has not been approved by the FDA to treat cocaine use; therefore, it is called an investigational drug.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Cocaine Use Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Exenatide 2 mg [Bydureon]; Behavioral: Drug Counseling

Detailed Description

Cocaine use continues to be a significant public health problem with limited treatment options and no approved pharmacotherapies. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptors are located in brain areas important for reward and, as such, appear to play a significant role in modulating addictive-like behaviors and drug use (Eren-Yazicioglu et al. 2020). Extended-release exenatide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist approved by the FDA for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. In preclinical studies, exenatide reduces cocaine-seeking and cocaine-taking behavior (Brunchmann et al. 2019). The effect of extended-release exenatide on cocaine use in patients with a cocaine use disorder (CUD) has not yet been investigated. A series of four case studies are being proposed to collect preliminary data on the feasibility, safety, and clinical effects of exenatide in treatment-seeking patients with CUD.

The U.S. is facing a re-emergence of cocaine as an epidemic drug, indicated by increases in availability, use, and overdose deaths following a previous period of decline (Maxwell 2020). Although significant strides have been made in medication development for the treatment of cocaine use disorder (CUD), no FDA-approved pharmacotherapies are currently available. NIDA's current strategic plan prioritizes efforts to accelerate CUD medication development by rigorously testing novel molecular targets based on a translational research approach. Emerging evidence supports the potential clinical utility of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor stimulation for the treatment of substance use disorders, including CUD.

GLP-1 is an incretin hormone that promotes insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells. Current evidence shows that GLP-1 receptors are widely expressed in areas of the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway where they regulate the rewarding value of food and drugs of abuse, including cocaine. Preclinical literature suggests that activation of GLP-1 receptors reduces the rewarding effects of cocaine and cocaine self-administration (e.g., Hernandez et al. 2018; Hernandez et al. 2019). In the human laboratory, acute cocaine administration decreases GLP-1 concentrations, with changes associated with subjective reinforcing responses to cocaine ("feeling high, anxious") (Bouhlal et al. 2017). Thus, there is compelling evidence to hypothesize that exenatide treatment will decrease cocaine use in individuals with CUD. In preparation for conducting a full-scale efficacy trial, the goal of the current proposal is to collect preliminary feasibility, safety, and clinical data on the effects of exenatide in series of four case studies.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 3
• Phase: Phase 2; Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77054
      • UTHealth Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences Building

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 60 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• between 18 and 60 years of age.
• meet DSM-5 criteria for current cocaine use disorder as measured by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID).
• have at least 1 cocaine-positive urine specimen (≥ 150 ng/mL) during intake.
• be in acceptable health on the basis of interview, medical history and physical exam.
• have hematology and chemistry laboratory tests that are within reference limits (±10%), with the following exception: pancreatic tests (lipase and amylase) must be within normal limits.
• consent to use an acceptable method of birth control during study participation and for one month after discontinuation of the study medication. Non-hormonal methods of contraception are recommended, including barrier contraceptives (e.g., diaphragm, cervical cap, male condom) or intrauterine device (IUD). Steroid contraceptives if used with non-hormonal methods are acceptable.
• be able to understand the consent form and provide written informed consent.
• be able to provide the names of at least 2 persons who can generally locate their whereabouts.

Exclusion Criteria:

• current DSM-5 diagnosis for substance use disorder (of at least moderate severity) other than cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, or nicotine.
• current alcohol use that meets for physiological dependence requiring detoxification or makes participation medically unsafe as determined by the medical director.
• have a DSM-5 axis I psychiatric disorder, or anorexia nervosa, or neurological disease or disorder requiring ongoing treatment and/or making study participation unsafe (e.g., psychosis, dementia).
• significant current suicidal or homicidal ideation.
• Type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus (previously diagnosed or indicated by HbA1C level of ≥6.5%).
• have medical conditions contraindicating exenatide pharmacotherapy (e.g., personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, severe gastrointestinal disease (severe gastroparesis), previous history of pancreatitis or risk of pancreatitis, creatinine clearance <45 or end stage renal disease, previous medically adverse reaction to exenatide or other GLP-1 receptor agonists).
• taking medications that could adversely interact with exenatide (e.g., oral or injectable blood glucose lowering medications).
• having conditions of probation or parole requiring reports of drug use to officers of the court.
• impending incarceration.
• pregnant or nursing for female patients.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Exenatide and Drug Counseling; Participants will receive once weekly exenatide injections and drug counseling sessions.

Drug: Exenatide 2 mg [Bydureon]; Exenatide will be purchased commercially as Bydureon® for subcutaneous (SC) injection and administered at a dose of 2 mg once a week for a total of 6 weeks. Each single-dose, dual-chamber pen contains 0.65 mg of diluent and 2 mg of exenatide, which remains isolated until mixed.; Other Names: Bydureon; Behavioral: Drug Counseling; Once weekly drug counseling sessions for cocaine use with trained masters-level therapists.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Feasibility as Assessed by Number of Participants Who Completed Treatment	Treatment completion will be assessed by attendance at the end-of-treatment timepoint.	Week 6
Drug Safety as Assessed by Total Number of Adverse Events Reported During Treatment	Adverse events (AEs) will be reported to study nurse during the course of treatment.	From Week 1 to Week 6
Clinical Effect of Exenatide as Assessed by Cocaine Use During Treatment as Indicated by Number of Participants With Cocaine-positive Urine Drug Screen Results	Urine drug screens were performed weekly. For a cocaine-negative urine drug screen result, benzoylecgonine levels must be under 300 ng/mL.	From Week 1 to Week 6

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Feasibility as Assessed by Number of Participants Enrolled	Enrollment will be assessed by the number of participants signing the informed consent.	Week 0
Feasibility as Assessed by Number of Study Visits Attended	There were 6 study visits planned.	From Week 1 to Week 6
Feasibility as Assessed by Retention as Indicated by Total Number of Completed Study Visits	Retention will be assessed by the total number of completed study visits. A completed study visit is a visit in which the participant attended and received the study treatment.	From Week 1 to Week 6
Feasibility as Indicated by Overall Acceptability as Reported on the Satisfaction Survey	The Satisfaction Survey includes a 9-point likert scale that ranges from 1 to 9, with a higher score indicating greater acceptability.	Week 6
Clinical Effect of Exenatide as Assessed by Number of Participants Who Self-reported Cocaine Use on 50% or More Days of the Week	Timeline Followback (TLFB) administered once weekly.	From Week 1 to Week 6
Clinical Effect of Exenatide as Indicated by Number of Participants Who Reported a Reduction in Craving by Week 6 as Indicated by Cocaine Craving on the Brief Substance Craving Scale	The brief substance craving scale (BSCS) is a 16-item, self-report instrument that assesses craving for cocaine and other substances of abuse over a 24 hour period. The domains of intensity, frequency, and duration are recorded on a five-point Likert scale. The range of scores for each domain is 0 to 4, and the total score is the sum of all three domains. The total score range is 0 to 12, and higher scores indicate higher craving (worse outcome.)	From Week 0 to Week 6
Clinical Effect of Exenatide as Assessed by Number of Participants Who Had a Decrease in Drug Demand by Week 6	Drug demand will be measured by the computerized Cocaine Purchasing Task (CPT). The CPT asks participants how much cocaine they would purchase at the beginning of a hypothetical day as the cost of cocaine increases from $0 to $1,000. The CPT simulates changes in price and consumption of drug in order to assess demand curves associated with drug consumption. The CPT will assess both cocaine reward value as well as motivation to consume cocaine.	From Week 0 to Week 6
Clinical Effect of Exenatide as Assessed by Number of Participants Who Were Below the Clinical Range for Depression by Week 6 as Indicated by the Beck Depression Inventory	The Beck Depression Inventory score ranges from 0 to 63, with a higher score indicating greater depressive symptoms. The scores from each timepoint will be plotted as a trend line.	Week 6
Clinical Effect of Exenatide as Indicated by Number of Participants Who Had an Increase in Positive Affect Symptoms by Week 6 as Indicated on the Positive/Negative Affect Schedule	The Positive/Negative Affect Schedule is a 20-item questionnaire divided into 10 positive affect items and 10 negative affect items. The score for the positive affect items ranges from 10 to 50, with a higher score indicating higher levels of positive affect. The scores from each timepoint will be plotted as a trend line.	From Week 0 to Week 6
Clinical Effect of Exenatide as Indicated by Number of Participants Who Had a Decrease in Negative Affect Symptoms Indicated on the Positive/Negative Affect Schedule	The Positive/Negative Affect Schedule is a 20-item questionnaire divided into 10 positive affect items and 10 negative affect items. The score for the negative affect items ranges from 10 to 50, with a lower score indicating lower levels of negative affect. The scores from each timepoint will be plotted as a trend line.	From Week 0 to Week 6

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Joy Schmitz, PhD, UT Houston; Principal Investigator: Luba Yammine, PhD, UT Houston

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 24, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 17, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): November 17, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 18, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 18, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): June 28, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 27, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 31, 2022
• Last Verified: March 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Exenatide; Cocaine use; Cocaine treatment
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Disease; Hypoglycemic Agents; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Hormones; Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists; Anti-Obesity Agents; Incretins; Exenatide
• Other Study ID Numbers: HSC-MS-21-0241

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: No plan to share IPD with other researchers.

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