AzTrials
AzTrials

Amyotrophic Lateral SclerosisPhase 2NCT00005674

Clinical Trial of Creatine in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis [ALS]

A Phase 2 study testing Creatine in people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, run by National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of creatine treatment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). There is currently no known effective treatment for ALS. It is known that nerve cells die in the brains and spinal cords of patients with ALS but the cause of the cell death is unknown. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 80 years
Conditions the study is for
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
What is being tested?
Creatine
How many people
Not given
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Start not givento not given
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 80 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • A clinical diagnosis of definite, probably or laboratory supported probably ALS, either sporadic or familial ALS according to a modified El Escorial criteria
  • Willing and able to give informed consent
  • FVC greater than or equal to 50% predicted
  • Evidence of abnormality in upper and/or lower extremity motor function (clinical evidence of muscle atrophy and weakness in an upper and/or lower extremity). The patient should have at least 4 or 8 testable upper extremity muscle groups.
  • Subjects may take riluzole. Riluzole must have been at stable doses for at least thirty days prior to baseline visit.
  • If woman of childbearing age, must be non-lactating and surgically sterile or using an effective method of birth control (double barrier or oral contraceptive) and have a negative pregnancy test
  • Disease duration less than five years

Who cannot join

None listed.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Washington University

    St Louis, Missouri, 63110

Other trials in United States

About this study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of creatine treatment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). There is currently no known effective treatment for ALS. It is known that nerve cells die in the brains and spinal cords of patients with ALS but the cause of the cell death is unknown. It has been shown that there is overactive nerve activity due to increased levels of a chemical called glutamate and that there is abnormal cellular metabolism along with increased production of substance called "free radicals." Improving cellular metabolism and readjusting the activity of glutamate in the brain may be beneficial to ALS patients.

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound, which improves energy metabolism in cells. Creatine has been given to patients with energy metabolism defects in their muscles, and to athletes. Creatine improves survival in a mouse model of ALS. Three human subjects with ALS have received creatine for up to six months without any side effects. Overall, creatine has been well tolerated and safe.

Read the detailed description

Half of the subjects in this study will be selected by chance to receive creatine treatment for 6 months and the other half to receive placebo. Neither the subject nor the investigator will know which drug the subject is receiving, although this information will be available in case of emergency. It is anticipated that all subjects will have the choice to receive creatine after the 6 months study in an open-label study for an additional 12 months. A total of 114 patients will participate at 15 centers. Approximately 8 subjects will be enrolled at the Washington University.

The effectiveness of creatine will be determined first by assessing any changes in strength in the arms and second by changes in grip strength, functional activities, electromyography changes or changes of the level of SOH 2'dG in the urine.

Being tested
Creatine
Medical subject headings
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • CreatineDrug

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted29 May 2000 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00005674
Sponsor's protocol ID
NCRR-M01RR00036-0745
Other IDs
M01RR000036
Status last verified
Dec 2003
First submitted
26 May 2000
Last updated
24 Jun 2005
Results posted
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Creatine in people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, run by National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 0 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 24 Jun 2005. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 24 Jun 2005; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 8 Nov 2026.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in