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Intranasal Esketamine-dexmedetomidine Combination in Patients With Postherpetic Neuralgia

8 de novembro de 2026 atualizado por: Dong-Xin Wang, Peking University First Hospital

Efficacy of Intranasal Esketamine-dexmedetomidine Combination in Patients With Postherpetic Neuralgia: a Randomized, Double-blind, Active Drug-controlled Trial

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a chronic neuropathic pain syndrome suffered by patients with herpes zoster and often adversely affect patients' normal lives, leading to declines in sleep and quality of life. Ketamine/esketamine has been used for treatment of chronic pain but may produce adverse psychiatric reactions at slightly higher doses, including dissociative symptoms, hallucinations, and nightmares; the sedative effect of dexmedetomidine helps mitigate its psychiatric side effects. A previous study in orthopedic surgery patients also showed that dexmedetomidine combined with esketamine can significantly improve perioperative analgesia and sleep quality. The investigators hypothesize that intranasal administration of dexmedetomidine combined with esketamine in patients with postherpetic neuralgia can improve analgesic efficacy.

Visão geral do estudo

Status

Ainda não está recrutando

Condições

Intervenção / Tratamento

Descrição detalhada

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a chronic neuropathic pain syndrome suffered by patients with herpes zoster. The typical feature of PHN is deep burning pain in the affected unilateral dermatome, often accompanied by stabbing pain and itching, persisting for more than 3 months after the initial onset of herpes zoster. The incidence of PHN among patients with herpes zoster is approximately 10-20%. The chronic pain symptoms of PHN often adversely affect patients' normal lives, leading to declines in sleep and quality of life. Approximately 50% of PHN patients have sleep disturbances. These ultimately affect cognitive function and mental health.

Ketamine is a non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist and has long been used as a dissociative anesthetic. At subanesthetic doses, ketamine exhibits analgesic and antihyperalgesic effects. Guidelines recommend low-dose ketamine infusion for the treatment of chronic pain. Esketamine is the more potent right-handed enantiomer of ketamine, with stronger affinity for the NMDA receptor; its potency is approximately twice that of ketamine, and the incidence of adverse psychiatric reactions is lower in clinical use. Intranasal esketamine has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of adults with treatment-resistant depression and represents a more non-invasive route of administration.

Dexmedetomidine is a highly selective α2-adrenergic receptor agonist with sedative, analgesic, and anxiolytic effects. Dexmedetomidine acts on the locus coeruleus, inhibiting the release of norepinephrine from neurons in the locus coeruleus and the activity of the medullary-spinal descending neural pathways, thereby producing sedative and analgesic effects. In perioperative management, dexmedetomidine is widely used for postoperative adjuvant analgesia; it can also improve patients' sleep, producing a state resembling non-rapid eye movement sleep. Intranasal dexmedetomidine can be safely used in adults and children and is currently widely used for pediatric procedural sedation and preoperative medication.

Ketamine/esketamine can produce adverse psychiatric reactions at slightly higher doses, including dissociative symptoms, hallucinations, and nightmares; the sedative effect of dexmedetomidine helps mitigate its psychiatric side effects. A previous study in orthopedic surgery patients also showed that dexmedetomidine combined with esketamine can significantly improve perioperative analgesia and sleep quality. The investigators hypothesize that intranasal administration of dexmedetomidine combined with esketamine in patients with postherpetic neuralgia can improve analgesic efficacy.

Tipo de estudo

Intervencional

Inscrição (Estimado)

80

Estágio

  • Fase 4

Contactos e Locais

Esta seção fornece os detalhes de contato para aqueles que conduzem o estudo e informações sobre onde este estudo está sendo realizado.

Contato de estudo

Locais de estudo

    • Beijing Municipality
      • Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China, 100034
        • Peking University First Hospital
        • Contato:

Critérios de participação

Os pesquisadores procuram pessoas que se encaixem em uma determinada descrição, chamada de critérios de elegibilidade. Alguns exemplos desses critérios são a condição geral de saúde de uma pessoa ou tratamentos anteriores.

Critérios de elegibilidade

Idades elegíveis para estudo

50 anos e mais velhos (Adulto, Adulto mais velho)

Aceita Voluntários Saudáveis

Não

Gêneros Elegíveis para o Estudo

Tudo

Descrição

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥ 50 years.
  • Diagnosis of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) requiring pharmacological analgesia, with a pain score ≥ 4 on the numerical rating scale (NRS).
  • Provision of written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Unsuitability for intranasal administration due to nasal disorders (e.g., rhinitis, nasal polyps, or nasal obstruction from any cause).
  • Inability to communicate owing to severe dementia, coma, or a language barrier.
  • History of schizophrenia, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, or myasthenia gravis.
  • Previous diagnosis of sleep apnoea, or high risk of moderate-to-severe sleep apnoea on the STOP-Bang assessment, or body mass index > 30 kg/m².
  • History of hyperthyroidism or phaeochromocytoma.
  • Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 30%; or sick sinus syndrome, severe sinus bradycardia (heart rate < 50 bpm), or second-degree or higher atrioventricular block without an implanted pacemaker; or systolic blood pressure < 90 mmHg before enrolment.
  • Severe hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh class C); severe renal impairment requiring dialysis; or any ongoing life-threatening condition (e.g., myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, transient ischaemic attack, or coronary stenting within the previous 3 months; active myocardial ischaemia; severe valvular disease; or end-stage renal disease not receiving dialysis).
  • Hypersensitivity to dexmedetomidine and/or esketamine.
  • Participation in another clinical trial, or any other condition that, in the investigator's opinion, makes the patient unsuitable for inclusion.

Plano de estudo

Esta seção fornece detalhes do plano de estudo, incluindo como o estudo é projetado e o que o estudo está medindo.

Como o estudo é projetado?

Detalhes do projeto

  • Finalidade Principal: Tratamento
  • Alocação: Randomizado
  • Modelo Intervencional: Atribuição Paralela
  • Mascaramento: Quadruplicar

Armas e Intervenções

Grupo de Participantes / Braço
Intervenção / Tratamento
Experimental: DEX-ESK group

For each administration: dexmedetomidine (1 spray = 0.05 ml = 25 μg) is administered as one spray into each nostril; after 1 minute, esketamine (1 spray = 0.05 ml = 1.25 mg) is administered alternately into each nostril, 4 sprays per nostril. Esketamine administration is repeated every 5 minutes until a total dose of 0.3 mg/kg is reached (using the number of sprays closest to the predetermined dose). If a dose is not tolerated, one administration may be omitted.

Administer once daily for 4 consecutive days, with the same administration method as above.

For each administration: dexmedetomidine (1 spray = 0.05 ml = 25 μg) is administered as one spray into each nostril; after 1 minute, esketamine (1 spray = 0.05 ml = 1.25 mg) is administered alternately into each nostril, 4 sprays per nostril. Esketamine administration is repeated every 5 minutes until a total dose of 0.3 mg/kg is reached (using the number of sprays closest to the predetermined dose). If a dose is not tolerated, one administration may be omitted.

Administer once daily for 4 consecutive days, with the same administration method as above.

Outros nomes:
  • Intranasal dexmedetomidine and esketamine
Comparador Ativo: ESK group

For each administration: placebo (0.9% saline; 1 spray = 0.05 ml) is administered as one spray into each nostril; after 1 minute, esketamine (1 spray = 0.05 ml = 1.25 mg) is administered alternately into each nostril, 4 sprays per nostril. Esketamine administration is repeated every 5 minutes until a total dose of 0.3 mg/kg is reached (using the number of sprays closest to the predetermined dose). If a dose is not tolerated, one administration may be omitted.

Administer once daily for 4 consecutive days, with the same administration method as above.

For each administration: placebo (0.9% saline; 1 spray = 0.05 ml) is administered as one spray into each nostril; after 1 minute, esketamine (1 spray = 0.05 ml = 1.25 mg) is administered alternately into each nostril, 4 sprays per nostril. Esketamine administration is repeated every 5 minutes until a total dose of 0.3 mg/kg is reached (using the number of sprays closest to the predetermined dose). If a dose is not tolerated, one administration may be omitted.

Administer once daily for 4 consecutive days, with the same administration method as above.

Outros nomes:
  • Intranasal placebo (normal saline) and esketamine

O que o estudo está medindo?

Medidas de resultados primários

Medida de resultado
Descrição da medida
Prazo
Sum of pain intensity difference (SPID) within 7 days after the first administration
Prazo: Within 7 days after the first administration

Follow-up time points: before each administration (Days 1, 2, 3, and 4 of enrollment; face-to-face follow-up); on Days 1, 2, and 3 after the last administration (Days 5, 6, and 7 of enrollment; telephone follow-up at the same time of day as drug administration).

Pain intensity: the patient's NRS pain score over the past 24 hours is recorded (0-10; 0 = no pain at all, 10 = the worst pain imaginable).

Sum of pain intensity difference (SPID): calculated as the sum of (baseline NRS score - NRS score at each scheduled daily follow-up) within 7 days after the first administration (i.e., 3 days after the last treatment).

Within 7 days after the first administration

Medidas de resultados secundários

Medida de resultado
Descrição da medida
Prazo
Sum of pain intensity difference (SPID) during Weeks 2 to 12 after the first administration
Prazo: During Weeks 2 to 12 after the first administration

Follow-up time points: once weekly after the last administration until Week 12 of enrollment (Days 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70, 77, and 84 of enrollment; telephone follow-up).

Pain intensity: the patient's NRS pain score over the past 24 hours is recorded (0-10; 0 = no pain at all, 10 = the worst pain imaginable).

Sum of pain intensity difference (SPID): calculated as the sum of (baseline NRS score - NRS score at each scheduled weekly follow-up) during Weeks 2 to 12 after the first administration.

During Weeks 2 to 12 after the first administration
Change from baseline in ZBPI chronic pain and impact scores within 3 months after treatment
Prazo: Up to 3 months after the first administration

Follow-up time points: Days 7 and 14 after the first administration (telephone follow-up); Months 1, 2, and 3 after the first administration (Days 28, 56, and 84 of enrollment; telephone follow-up).

Severity of chronic pain and its impact on patients: assessed using the Zoster Brief Pain Inventory (ZBPI, Appendix 7). Pain severity is rated from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater pain severity; pain interference is rated from 0 to 10 across 7 domains, with higher scores indicating greater interference with daily functioning.

Within 3 months after the first dose

Up to 3 months after the first administration

Colaboradores e Investigadores

É aqui que você encontrará pessoas e organizações envolvidas com este estudo.

Patrocinador

Investigadores

  • Investigador principal: Dong-Xin Wang, MD, PhD, Peking University First Hospital

Publicações e links úteis

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Publicações Gerais

Datas de registro do estudo

Essas datas acompanham o progresso do registro do estudo e os envios de resumo dos resultados para ClinicalTrials.gov. Os registros do estudo e os resultados relatados são revisados ​​pela National Library of Medicine (NLM) para garantir que atendam aos padrões específicos de controle de qualidade antes de serem publicados no site público.

Datas Principais do Estudo

Início do estudo (Estimado)

1 de novembro de 2026

Conclusão Primária (Estimado)

1 de novembro de 2027

Conclusão do estudo (Estimado)

1 de maio de 2028

Datas de inscrição no estudo

Enviado pela primeira vez

8 de novembro de 2026

Enviado pela primeira vez que atendeu aos critérios de CQ

8 de novembro de 2026

Primeira postagem (Real)

13 de novembro de 2026

Atualizações de registro de estudo

Última Atualização Postada (Real)

13 de novembro de 2026

Última atualização enviada que atendeu aos critérios de controle de qualidade

8 de novembro de 2026

Última verificação

1 de novembro de 2026

Mais Informações

Termos relacionados a este estudo

Outros números de identificação do estudo

  • 2026R0576

Plano para dados de participantes individuais (IPD)

Planeja compartilhar dados de participantes individuais (IPD)?

NÃO

Informações sobre medicamentos e dispositivos, documentos de estudo

Estuda um medicamento regulamentado pela FDA dos EUA

Não

Estuda um produto de dispositivo regulamentado pela FDA dos EUA

Não

Essas informações foram obtidas diretamente do site clinicaltrials.gov sem nenhuma alteração. Se você tiver alguma solicitação para alterar, remover ou atualizar os detalhes do seu estudo, entre em contato com register@clinicaltrials.gov. Assim que uma alteração for implementada em clinicaltrials.gov, ela também será atualizada automaticamente em nosso site .