Study of DCR-AUD in Healthy Volunteers

A Phase 1, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Single-ascending Dose, Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmacodynamics Study of DCR-AUD in Healthy Volunteers

DCR-AUD will be evaluated for safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics in healthy volunteers.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: DCR-AUD; Drug: Placebo for DCR-AUD

Detailed Description

DCR-AUD is being developed for the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in adults using an RNA interference (RNAi) technology platform. This is a 24-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, PK, and PD of single-ascending doses (SAD) of DCR-AUD administered to adult HVs. The single doses of DCR-AUD will be administered to adult HVs across 4 sequential cohorts (3 planned [80 mg, 240 mg, 480 mg] and one optional [960 mg]). Each cohort will comprise a sentinel group of 3 participants (2 active, 1 placebo) and an expanded group of 6 participants (4 active, 2 placebo). The sentinel group will be followed for the assessment of safety and tolerability and characterization of PK but who will not undergo any EIAs. Participants will receive a single dose of study intervention on Day 1 and will be followed for 24 weeks. Participants who have positive ethanol reaction symptoms at the Day 169 EIA (e.g., nausea, vomiting, or substantial flushing) will return every 28 (±7) days for follow-up EIAs until the positive ethanol reaction symptoms abate. These conditional follow-up (CFU) EIAs will not require overnight admission to the clinic, but all other aspects of the EIA will be conducted (see Table 3). Participants will be observed for not less than 6 hours after ethanol administration and will not be discharged until the Investigator deems it medically safe to do so.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 36
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Glendale, California, United States, 91206
      • Parexel Los Angeles Early Phase Clinical Unit

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 21 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion criteria

• Male and female participants, between 21 and 65 years of age (inclusive), who were social drinkers of modest amounts of alcohol (less than or equal to (≤) 2 drinks/day, ≤ 3 days/week) and would be able to refrain from drinking alcohol during the outpatient portion of the trial
• Overtly healthy, as determined by medical evaluation including medical history, physical examination, laboratory tests, and cardiac monitoring.
• Negative screen for drugs of abuse (to include at minimum: amphetamines, barbiturates, cocaine, opioids, and benzodiazepines) at Screening and Day 1. Cannabis will not be recorded as a drug of abuse for this study.
• Had a negative test for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection on Day -1 and prior to admission to the clinical unit.
• Systolic BP in the range of 90 to 140 millimetre(s) of mercury (mmHg) and diastolic BP in the range of 50 to 95 mmHg, and body mass index (BMI) within the range of 18.0 to 32.0 kilogram per square meter (kg/m^2) (inclusive).

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of any medical condition that may interfere with the absorption, distribution, or elimination of study intervention, or with the clinical and laboratory assessments in this study, including (but not limited to): chronic or recurrent renal disease, functional bowel disorders (e.g., frequent diarrhea or constipation), clinically significant cardiovascular or pulmonary disease or has cardiovascular or pulmonary disease requiring pharmacologic medication, GI tract disease, pancreatitis, seizure disorder, mucocutaneous, or musculoskeletal disorder.
• Any history of severe or recent clinically significant depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or other neuropsychiatric disorder that, in the judgment of the Investigator, represents a safety risk to the individual were they to participate in the trial
• History of delirium tremens or alcohol-related seizures.
• History of significant adverse reaction(s) to alcohol.
• History of substance use disorder (SUD), including alcohol (AUD) or illicit drug use (excluding cannabis) within the preceding 12 months. Nicotine use is permitted.
• History of any concomitant medical condition for which alcohol consumption is prohibited or advised against by the participant's physician or health care provider.
• History of multiple drug allergies or a history of allergic reaction to an oligonucleotide based therapy

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

5

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Cohort 1: DCRAUD 80 mg; Participant received a single dose of DCR-AUD 80 mg, subcutaneous injection on Day 1.	Drug: DCR-AUD; DCR-A1203, the drug substance of DCR-AUD, is a synthetic double-stranded (hybridized duplex) RNA oligonucleotide conjugated to GalNAc ligands that enable specific hepatic access and uptake after subcutaneous administration. DCR-AUD is a sterile solution of DCR-A1203 at a concentration of 160 mg/mL in water for injection (WFI).; Other Names: DCR-A1203
Placebo Comparator: Cohort 2: DCRAUD 240 mg; Participant received a single dose of DCR-AUD 240 mg, subcutaneous injection on Day 1.	Drug: DCR-AUD; DCR-A1203, the drug substance of DCR-AUD, is a synthetic double-stranded (hybridized duplex) RNA oligonucleotide conjugated to GalNAc ligands that enable specific hepatic access and uptake after subcutaneous administration. DCR-AUD is a sterile solution of DCR-A1203 at a concentration of 160 mg/mL in water for injection (WFI).; Other Names: DCR-A1203
Experimental: Cohort 3: DCR-AUD 480 mg; Participant received a single dose of DCR-AUD 480 mg, subcutaneous injection on Day 1.	Drug: DCR-AUD; DCR-A1203, the drug substance of DCR-AUD, is a synthetic double-stranded (hybridized duplex) RNA oligonucleotide conjugated to GalNAc ligands that enable specific hepatic access and uptake after subcutaneous administration. DCR-AUD is a sterile solution of DCR-A1203 at a concentration of 160 mg/mL in water for injection (WFI).; Other Names: DCR-A1203
Placebo Comparator: Cohort 4: DCR-AUD 960 mg; Participant received a single dose of DCR-AUD 960 mg, subcutaneous injection on Day 1.	Drug: DCR-AUD; DCR-A1203, the drug substance of DCR-AUD, is a synthetic double-stranded (hybridized duplex) RNA oligonucleotide conjugated to GalNAc ligands that enable specific hepatic access and uptake after subcutaneous administration. DCR-AUD is a sterile solution of DCR-A1203 at a concentration of 160 mg/mL in water for injection (WFI).; Other Names: DCR-A1203
Experimental: Pooled Placebo; Participant received a single dose of DCR-AUD matching placebo, subcutaneous injection on Day 1.	Drug: Placebo for DCR-AUD; 0.9% saline for injection; Other Names: Placebo

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Participants With Treatment-emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs) and Serious Adverse Events (SAEs)	An Adverse event (AE) is any untoward medical occurrence in a patient or clinical study participant, temporally associated with the use of study intervention, whether or not considered related to the study intervention. An AE can therefore be any unfavorable and unintended sign (including an abnormal laboratory finding), symptom, or disease (new or exacerbated) temporally associated with the use of study intervention. A TEAE is defined as an AE that begins or that worsens in severity after the study drug has been administered. An SAE is defined as any untoward medical occurrence that at any dose: results in death, is life threatening, requires inpatient hospitalization or prolongation of existing hospitalization, results in persistent or significant disability/incapacity, leads to a congenital anomaly /birth defect, is the other important medical event.	From Day 1 up to 24 Weeks
Number of Participants With Severity Grades of TEAEs	An AE is any untoward medical occurrence in a patient or clinical study participant, temporally associated with the use of study intervention, whether or not considered related to the study intervention. A TEAE is defined as an AE that begins or that worsens in severity after the study drug has been administered. As per the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), version 5.0, Grade 1: mild; asymptomatic or mild symptoms; clinical or diagnostic observations only; treatment not indicated; Grade 2: moderate; minimal, local, or noninvasive treatment indicated; limiting age-appropriate activities of daily living; Grade 3: severe or medically significant but not immediately life-threatening; hospitalization or prolongation of hospitalization indicated; disabling; limiting self-care activities of daily living; Grade 4: life-threatening consequences; urgent treatment indicated; Grade 5: fatal.	From Day 1 up to 24 Weeks
Number of Participants With Dose-limiting Toxicities (DLTs) as Assessed by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) Version 5.0	DLT is defined as an AE of greater than or equal to (>=) Grade 3 intensity (CTCAE Version 5.0) in one participant, unless it is clearly the result of a non-study-related event OR any 2 AEs of >= Grade 2 intensity in the same body system in one participant.	From Day 1 up to 24 Weeks
Number of Participants With Change From Baseline in Clinically Significant Abnormal Vital Signs	Number of participants with change from baseline in clinically significant abnormal vital signs (temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure) is presented.	From Baseline (Day -1) up to 24 weeks
Number of Participants With Change From Baseline in Clinically Significant Abnormal Electrocardiogram (ECG) Findings	Number of participants with change from baseline in clinically significant abnormal ECG findings (Heart rate, PR interval, QRS interval, QT interval and QT interval using Fridericia's correction [QTcF]) is presented.	From Baseline (Day -1) up to 24 weeks
Number of Participants With Change From Baseline in Clinically Significant Abnormal Laboratory Values	Number of participants with change from baseline in clinically significant abnormal laboratory values (hematology, clinical chemistry, coagulation and routine urinalysis parameters) is presented.	From Baseline (Day -1) up to 24 weeks
Number of Participants With Change From Baseline in Clinically Significant Physical Examination Findings	Number of participants with change from baseline in clinically significant physical examination findings (assessments of the cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, neurological, and skin systems and inspection of the injection site) is presented.	From Baseline (Day -1) up to 24 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
AUC0-last: Area Under the Plasma Concentration Curve From Time Zero to the Last Quantifiable Concentration of DCR-AUD	AUC0-last is defined as the area under the plasma concentration curve from time zero to the last quantifiable concentration of DCR-AUD.	Day 1: Predose, at 15 and 30 minutes, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 24, 48, 72 hours post dose; Day 15: Once Post dose
Cmax: Maximum Observed Plasma Concentration of DCR-AUD	Cmax is defined as maximum observed plasma concentration of DCR-AUD during a dosing interval.	Day 1: Predose, at 15 and 30 minutes, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 24, 48, 72 hours post dose; Day 15: Once Post dose
Tmax: Time to Reach the Maximum Plasma Concentration of DCR-AUD (Cmax)	Tmax is defined as time to reach the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) of DCR-AUD.	Day 1: Predose, at 15 and 30 minutes, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 24, 48, 72 hours post dose; Day 15: Once Post dose
t1/2: Apparent Terminal Elimination Half-life of DCR-AUD	t1/2 is defined as apparent terminal elimination half-life of DCR-AUD.	Day 1: Predose, at 15 and 30 minutes, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 24, 48, 72 hours post dose; Day 15: Once Post dose
Fe%0-72: Urinary Cumulative Excretion as % of Unchanged DCR-AUD up to 72 Hours	Urinary cumulative excretion as % of DCR-AUD at each interval collection (0- 4 hours, 0- 8 hours, 0-12 hours, 0-24 hours, 0-48 hours, 0-72 hours) is reported in this outcome measure.	At time interval between 0- 4 hours, 0- 8 hours, 0-12 hours, 0-24 hours, 0-48 hours, 0-72 hours
CLR: Renal Clearance of the DCR-AUD From Plasma	Renal clearance of the DCR-AUD from plasma is reported in this outcome measure.	Day 1: 0-4, 4-8, 8-12, 12-24, 24-48, and 48-72-hours post-dose
Six Symptom Responses During Ethanol Interactions Assessments (EIAs)	The degree of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) reduction was measured by quantitative assessment of 6 symptom (flushing, headache, palpitations, light-headedness, nausea, and vomiting) responses during EIAs. Each of 6 symptoms was assessed at each of the 4 time points during each EIA. Composite score at each time point was the sum of severity ratings for each of the 6 symptoms. Peak composite score (of the 3 post-alcohol initiation composite scores at each EIA test) was used as the subject's peak score for that EIA test. The point system was as follows: 0 point = symptom not present, 1 point = mild severity of symptom, 2 points = moderate severity of symptom and 3 points = severe severity of symptom. Participants were given a composite score, which was the sum of the scores of all 6 symptoms (highest possible score is 18).	Day -1, Day 4, Day 15, Day 29, Day 57, Day 85, Day 113 and Day 169
Cmax: Maximum Observed Plasma Concentration of Acetaldehyde	Maximum plasma concentration of acetaldehyde was measured to evaluate the pharmacodynamic effects of ALDH2 reduction by DCR-AUD during serial EIAs days.	Day -1, Day 4, Day 15, Day 29, Day 57, Day 85, Day 113 and Day 169
AUC0-2.5: Area Under the Concentration Time Curve From Time 0 to Fixed Time 2.5 of Acetaldehyde	Area under the concentration time curve from time 0 to fixed time 2.5 of acetaldehyde was measured to evaluate the pharmacodynamic effects of ALDH2 reduction by DCR-AUD during serial EIAs days.	Day -1, Day 4, Day 15, Day 29, Day 57, Day 85, Day 113 and Day 169
Change From Baseline in Heart Rate	Heart rate is measured to evaluate the PD effects of ALDH2 reduction by DCR-AUD during serial EIA. Heart rate was monitored by telemetry during the EIAs.	Baseline (Day -1), Day 169
Change From Baseline in Facial Skin Temperature	Change in facial skin temperature was measured to evaluate the PD effects of ALDH2 reduction by DCR-AUD during serial EIAs for the expanded group. Facial skin temperature was measured using a surface scanning thermometer.	Baseline (Day -1), Day 169
Change From Baseline in Subjective Effects of Alcohol Scale (SEAS) Score	Subjective feelings of alcohol intoxication or intolerance is measured to evaluate the PD effects of ALDH2 reduction by DCR-AUD during serial EIAs. Participants' subjective experience of the effects of alcohol was assessed using the SEAS. The SEAS is a 14-item tool that allows participants to rate the subjective effects of alcohol. Participants rated the extent to which they were feeling (high/low arousal positive: relaxed, wobbly, lively, secure, woozy, fun, calm, dizzy, mellow, funny, talkative and high/low arousal negative: demanding, rude and aggressive) on an 11-point scale from (0 = not at all, 10 = extremely). higher values represent more effects.	Baseline (Day -1), Day 169

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Novo Nordisk company
• Collaborators: Parexel
• Investigators: Study Director: Clinical Transparency (dept. 1452), Novo Nordisk A/S

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 21, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 31, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): December 31, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 18, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 19, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): August 25, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 2, 2024
• Last Verified: December 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Alcohol-Related Disorders; Alcoholism
• Other Study ID Numbers: DCR-AUD-101; U44AA027404 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

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