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Essential TremorPhase 3NCT00236496

A Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety of Topiramate Versus Placebo in Treating Tremor of Unknown Cause.

A Phase 3 study testing topiramate in people with Essential Tremor, run by Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C..

Completed

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

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and effectiveness of topiramate as compared to placebo in treating patients with tremor of unknown cause. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 80 years
Conditions the study is for
Essential Tremor
What is being tested?
topiramate
How many people
223 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
Oct 2001to Feb 2004
Phase
Phase 3
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

  • Current symptoms of essential tremor based on the Tremor Investigational Group (TRIG) criteria
  • Dominant upper extremity posture or action intention tremor of 2 (moderate) to 4 (severe)
  • In good health otherwise

Who cannot join

  • Patients with abnormal neurologic signs other than essential tremor
  • Taking more than one anti-tremor medication
  • Taking drugs known to cause tremors
  • With physical damage to the nervous system or Parkinson's disease
  • Known to be abusing drugs or alcohol
  • Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding

About this study

Official title: A Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety of Topiramate Versus Placebo in the Treatment of Essential Tremor

The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and effectiveness of topiramate as compared to placebo in treating patients with tremor of unknown cause.

Read the detailed description

Essential tremor is a very common form of tremor, occurring in up to 5% of people. It may be inherited. In 90% of patients, the tremor is in the hands; however, it can also be in the head, voice, legs, jaw, and tongue. Essential tremor may be treated by the blood pressure medicine propranolol or the anti-seizure drug primidone. The drawbacks of these drugs are that they tend to lose effectiveness over time, and they may cause side effects. Researchers believe that topiramate, an anti-seizure drug, may be effective in treating essential tremor. In this double blind, placebo-controlled study, patients with essential tremor will start at a low dose of topiramate (25 milligrams) or placebo. The dose will be gradually increased over 12 weeks to a maximum of 400 milligrams daily, taken in two divided doses. Then, each patient will stay on the established dose for the next 12 weeks. During the next phase of the study, the patients will slowly reduce the dose until they stop taking the study drug, after which, patients have the option of taking up to 600 milligrams of topiramate (not placebo) in a 14-week extension of the study. This study was designed to investigate the hypothesis that topiramate will be more effective than placebo in the treatment of essential tremor as measured by the Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor (TRS) and is well tolerated. The TRS is a three part scale that measures tremor location/severity rating, specific motor tasks/function rating, and functional disabilities resulting from tremor. Safety evaluations are assessed throughout the study.

Topiramate or placebo, starting with a dose of 25 mg, then gradually increased over 12 weeks up to 400 mg daily (two 100-mg tablets taken by mouth twice a day) and continued on this dose for 12 weeks in the maintenance phase; up to 600 milligrams of topiramate in the open-label phase.

Being tested
topiramate
Keywords
tremor, essential tremor
Medical subject headings
Essential Tremor, Tremor

What participants receive

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

  • topiramateDrug

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor (TRS) score at Visit 8 (or patient's final visit) of the double-blind phase

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. TRS subscale scores; composite normalized score; overall TRS score; patient and investigator assessment scores.

Timeline

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

  1. First posted12 Oct 2005 (estimated)
  2. Study startOct 2001
  3. Study completionFeb 2004

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 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Double blind
Enrolment
223 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00236496
Sponsor's protocol ID
CR002659
Status last verified
Apr 2010
First submitted
7 Oct 2005
Last updated
10 Jun 2011
Results posted
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 3 study testing topiramate in people with Essential Tremor, run by Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C..

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 3 inclusion and 6 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 10 Jun 2011. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

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 3 studies compare the treatment with the current standard treatment or a placebo in a large group, to confirm how well it works and watch for side effects.

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.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor (TRS) score at Visit 8 (or patient's final visit) of the double-blind phase. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

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 10 Jun 2011.

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