ACOU085 for Hearing Loss Prevention in Testicular Cancer Patients Receiving Cisplatin (PROHEAR)

Phase IIa Randomized, Double-blind, and Placebo-controlled Multicenter Split Body Trial of Repeated Doses of ACOU085 for the Prevention of Hearing Loss in Testicular Cancer Patients Receiving Cisplatin

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter phase IIa clinical trial in adult male TCa patients with the risk to suffer from sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) due to cisplatin therapy within a chemotherapeutic regimen of testicular cancer. Patients will have an indication for a cisplatin-containing chemotherapy according to current guidelines and trial site tumor board recommendations. The trial is designed to show efficacy, safety, and tolerability of ACOU085 administered into the middle ear using 3 transtympanic injections per ear prior to 3 planned and corresponding 3-week chemotherapeutic cycles. The intra-individual control will be done by placebo injection into the respective contralateral middle ear.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Cisplatin-induced Hearing Loss
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: ACOU085 (bimokalner); Drug: Placebo

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 40
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Tim P Boelke, MD; Phone Number: +491705670279; Email: boelke@acousia.com

Study Locations

• Germany
  • Baden-Wuerttemberg
    • Tuebingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, 72070
      • Recruiting
      • Dept. of Otolaryngology of Tuebingen University
      • Contact: Sven Becker, MD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Confirmed diagnosis of testicular cancer with indication for a cis-Pt-containing chemotherapeutic regimen according to current treatment guidelines and site-specific tumor board recommendations
• Male adult patients at an age between 18 and 45 years
• Planned cis-Pt treatment with a cumulative dose of ≥300 mg/m2 which has to be administered in three chemotherapeutic cycles
• Normal or not clinically relevant otoscopic findings in both ears
• Normal hearing at both ears according to current WHO criteria for air-conduction 4PTA (0.5/1/2/4 kHz; 0 to 19 dB HL; average of audiometric thresholds at 0.5/1/2/4 kHz) at baseline
• Normal hearing at both ears according to ASHA criteria with a hearing threshold at any frequency (0.25 to 12 kHz) not exceeding 20 dB and a 4PTA (0.5/1/2/4 kHz) showing ≤15 dB HL at baseline
• Normal distortion product oto-acoustic emissions (DPOAE) present in both ears at baseline
• Patient shows normal results at trial start (V1) concerning heart rate (50 to 90 bpm), blood pressure (according to commonly accepted ranges), ECG (no pathological findings), and laboratory parameters (ie, liver and renal function values not clinically significant)
• Male patients and their female partner(s) must agree to use 2 forms of contraception (one of which must be a barrier method) during 6 months after trial start (V1)
• Patient is cooperative, able to understand all aspects of the trial, and able to speak German comparable to native speakers as per the investigator's discretion
• Patient has signed an approved informed consent form indicating that he understands the purpose of and procedures required for the trial, will follow the trial-specific measures, and is willing to participate in the trial

Exclusion Criteria:

• Suspected or diagnosed genetic predisposition to hearing loss (incl. DFNA2 rel. to KCNQ4)
• History of middle ear pathology or surgery, otitis externa, chronic otitis media, or recent acute otitis media (within ≤3 months)
• History of otologic surgery (excluding myringotomy tubes or simple tympanoplasty)
• Meniere's disease or secondary endolymphatic hydrops, auto immune hearing loss, inner ear pathology, fluctuating hearing loss, perilymph fistula, cochlear baro-trauma, radiation-induced hearing loss, retro-cochlear lesion, severe tympanosclerosis, atrophic tympanic membrane
• Hearing loss of >45 dB averaged at 6 and 8 kHz in either ear
• Sudden hearing loss or conductive hearing loss >10 dB at two frequencies in either ear
• Asymmetry in hearing thresholds between left and right ear ≥20 dB at any single frequency or ≥10 dB at any 3 consecutive frequencies ≤ 8 kHz
• Intake of any ototoxic drugs other than the intended cis-Pt-containing chemotherapeutic drug regimen prior to start of the trial and during the trial period
• Previous radiation exposure >35 Gray to complete or parts of the cochlea
• Severe concomitant diseases such as heart failure (NYHA II-IV), COPD, bronchial asthma, ongoing malignancies other than testicular cancer, auto-immune or chronic-inflammatory diseases, endocrinological diseases, advanced hepatic or renal failure, and primary complaint of tinnitus
• Planned consumption of medications, herbal preparations, and specific food ingredients to treat hearing problems and/or tinnitus during the trial period
• Hypersensitivity against any primary or secondary ingredient of IMP/Placebo medication
• Male patients with female partners who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant during 6 months after trial start (V1)
• Use of any other investigational medicinal product (IMP) within five times the half-life of that IMP/relevant metabolites or one month (whichever is longer) prior to screening and planned use during the trial or up to 30 days after trial completion
• Patient has any dependent relationship or employment status with respect to the trial site, the sponsor, the investigator, or any supervisor

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Active ear; An ACOU085 retard formulation is transtympanically injected into the round window niche of the middle ear.	Drug: ACOU085 (bimokalner); Transtympanic injection
Placebo Comparator: Placebo ear; A matching placebo retard formulation is transtympanically injected into the round window niche of the contralateral middle ear.	Drug: Placebo; Transtympanic injection

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
PTA air	Proportion of patients showing a difference of ≥10 dB between the ears in at least two frequencies for air conduction in PTA focused on high (4, 6, 8 kHz) and extended high frequencies (10, 12, 14, 16 kHz) between baseline (V1; prior to first initiation of cis-Pt-containing chemotherapy) and end of chemotherapeutic cycle 3 (V4)	Visit 4 at 9 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions (DPOAE)	Intraindividual differences between the ears at Visits 2-5	150 days
PTA bone	Intraindividual differences between the ears at Visits 2-5	150 days
Oldenburger Test (speech understanding)	Intraindividual differences between the ears at Visits 2-5	150 days
Freiburger Test	Intraindividual differences between the ears at Visits 2-5	150 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Acousia Therapeutics GmbH
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Sven Becker, MD, Dept. of Otolaryngology of Tübingen University, Germany

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 15, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 31, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 19, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 24, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): July 25, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 25, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 24, 2024
• Last Verified: July 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Neoplasms; Urogenital Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Neurologic Manifestations; Endocrine System Diseases; Gonadal Disorders; Endocrine Gland Neoplasms; Genital Neoplasms, Male; Testicular Diseases; Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases; Ear Diseases; Sensation Disorders; Hearing Disorders; Urogenital Diseases; Male Urogenital Diseases; Genital Diseases, Male; Genital Diseases; Testicular Neoplasms; Hearing Loss; Deafness
• Other Study ID Numbers: EUCT 2023-503696-15-00

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