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Diabetic Macular EdemaNCT00779142

Utility of Intravitreal Methotrexate in Diabetic Macular Edema Resistant to Conventional Therapies

A study testing Methotrexate intravenous 25mg/ml in people with Diabetic Macular Edema, run by Wake Forest University at 1 site in United States.

Terminated

Stopped early. The study ended before it was planned to and will not resume.

Official record
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Trial summary

It is well known that blindness is one of the most feared disabilities expressed by patients in the United States. Estimates of the economic impact of visual disability in the current population exceed 30 million US dollars in this country alone. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 85 years
Conditions the study is for
Diabetic Macular Edema
What is being tested?
Methotrexate intravenous 25mg/ml
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
2 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Sep 2011to Aug 2012
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

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 85 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Adult patients (18 years and older) with clinically significant macular edema (CSME) with visual acuity less than 20/60 to Hand motion in the study eye.
  • Patients should have persistent CSME three months after laser therapy or three months after intraocular injection of Avastin or triamcinolone. These interventions could be multiple or combined.
  • Optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan demonstrating more than 275 microns retinal thickness in central subfield of study eye.
  • Ability to understand study instructions, interventions and potential complications.
  • History of reasonably controlled Diabetes mellitus (DM), ≤ 8.5HbA1c that has been evaluated in the last 3 months.
  • Ability to undergo contraceptive protection during and 3 months after intraocular injections.
  • Clear demonstration (in female patients) of commitment to avoid pregnancy and a negative urine pregnancy test at baseline for women of childbearing potential.
  • Clear understanding of teratogenic potential of MTX.

Who cannot join

  • History of allergy to MTX.
  • An ocular condition is present such that, in the opinion of the investigator, visual acuity loss would not improve from resolution of macular edema (e.g., foveal atrophy, pigment abnormalities, dense subfoveal hard exudates, nonretinal condition.
  • An ocular condition is present (other than diabetes) that, in the opinion of the investigator, might affect macular edema or alter visual acuity during the course of the study (e.g., vein occlusion, uveitis or other ocular inflammatory disease, neovascular glaucoma, epiretinal membrane, etc.).
  • An eye treated for Glaucoma
  • Eyes that underwent vitrectomy
  • History of intraocular malignancies.
Show all 19Show fewer
  • Intraocular surgery with the prior 3 months.
  • Recent significant change in diabetic medications.
  • Insulin usage less than a year.
  • Life threatening co morbidities such as cancer under therapy.
  • Use of oral, intravenous, periocular or intraocular corticosteroids (steroids) in prior 3 months.
  • Liver function that exceeds three times the upper limit of normal at baseline, or within 6 weeks of that appointment.
  • Pregnant females.
  • Vitreous hemorrhage (active) in study eye
  • Anticipation of the need for laser pan retinal photocoagulation in the next 6 months.
  • Media opacities
  • Herpetic disease of cornea
  • Corneal dystrophy with significant corneal edema.
  • Any major surgery within the last 30 days

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Wake Forest Baptist Health Eye Center

    Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Evaluation of the Utility of Intravitreal Methotrexate in Patients With Recalcitrant Diabetic Macular Edema in an Open Label, Nonrandomized, Uncontrolled, Interventional Pilot Trial

It is well known that blindness is one of the most feared disabilities expressed by patients in the United States. Estimates of the economic impact of visual disability in the current population exceed 30 million US dollars in this country alone. The reasons for this figure are many; however age related macular degeneration (ARMD), diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and uveitis are responsible for the majority of permanent visual disability and hence the costs in both quality of life and placing an economic burden on society. Research that may help reverse various abnormal biological responses that lead to or worsen clinical manifestations of diabetic retinopathy would be valuable.

Read the detailed description

The most common reason for decreased vision in diabetic retinopathy is macular edema. Current approaches to macular edema include FDA approved interventions such as laser and better underlying control of the disease and co morbid conditions. 'Off label' interventions include intravitreal triamcinolone and bevacizumab, both of which have been demonstrated to be efficacious; at least in the short term (weeks) but carry significant risks. Surgical approaches are still controversial and have not shown long term benefits. Unfortunately, there are subsets of patients resistant to any of the above therapies. Intravitreal therapies utilizing methotrexate 400 ug (MTX) have been used for other ophthalmologic conditions associated with inflammation driven macular edema. bevacizumab an anti VEGF agent has been utilized in diseases other than macular degeneration with a favorable effect. It is known that certain similar inflammatory mediators play a role in diabetic macular edema. It would be logical to evaluate the efficacy of MTX an anti inflammatory anti metabolite at low concentrations in diabetic patients with macular edema who have failed conventional FDA approved and well studied off label therapies that involve laser and/or intravitreal drugs.

Being tested
Methotrexate intravenous 25mg/ml
Keywords
resistant diabetic macular edema

What participants receive

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

  • Methotrexate intravenous 25mg/mlDrug

    Also called Methotrexate

    Methotrexate intravenous 25mg/ml delivered once or twice (based on the therapeutic response) over a period of 2 months maximum. Total dosage 400ug in each dose. Statistical analysis would not be applicable in this small sample.

Study groups in NCT00779142
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Methotrexate 25mg/mlOtherMethotrexate intravenous 25mg/ml: Methotrexate intravenous 25mg/ml delivered once or twice (based on the therapeutic response) over a period of 2 months maximum. Total dosage 400ug in each dose to subjects with diabetic macular edema resistant to conventional therapies.
Receives: Drug: Methotrexate intravenous 25mg/ml

What is being measured

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

  1. 30% Decrease in One Subfield Thickness on Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) 4 Weeks After the Last Intraocular Injection

    Measured: 4 weeks

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Number of Participants With Increase in Visual Acuity (VA) Two Lines or More at the End of One Month After the Last Intraocular Injection

    Measured: 1 month

  2. Secondary Would be Significant Clinical Improvement (Judged at the Slit Lamp Exam Using a 90D Lens) in Macular Edema at the End of One Month After the Last Intraocular Injection.

    Measured: 1 month

Timeline

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

  1. First posted24 Oct 2008 (estimated)
  2. Study startSep 2011
  3. Primary completionAug 2012
  4. Study completionAug 2012

Why it stopped: recent research indicates Lucentis to be an effictive treatment

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 N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
2 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00779142
Sponsor's protocol ID
5865 Methotrexate
Status last verified
Nov 2017
First submitted
22 Oct 2008
Last updated
23 Jan 2018
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Rein DB, Zhang P, Wirth KE, Lee PP, Hoerger TJ, McCall N, Klein R, Tielsch JM, Vijan S, Saaddine J. The economic burden of major adult visual disorders in the United States. Arch Ophthalmol. 2006 Dec;124(12):1754-60. doi: 10.1001/archopht.124.12.1754.

    PubMed 17159036
  • Shimura M, Nakazawa T, Yasuda K, Shiono T, Iida T, Sakamoto T, Nishida K. Comparative therapy evaluation of intravitreal bevacizumab and triamcinolone acetonide on persistent diffuse diabetic macular edema. Am J Ophthalmol. 2008 May;145(5):854-61. doi: 10.1016/j.ajo.2007.12.031. Epub 2008 Mar 6.

    PubMed 18328456
  • Vasconcelos-Santos DV, Nehemy PG, Schachat AP, Nehemy MB. Secondary ocular hypertension after intravitreal injection of 4 mg of triamcinolone acetonide: incidence and risk factors. Retina. 2008 Apr;28(4):573-80. doi: 10.1097/IAE.0b013e31816079e8.

    PubMed 18398360
  • Hartley KL, Smiddy WE, Flynn HW Jr, Murray TG. Pars plana vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling for diabetic macular edema. Retina. 2008 Mar;28(3):410-9. doi: 10.1097/IAE.0b013e31816102f2.

    PubMed 18327132
  • Hardwig PW, Pulido JS, Erie JC, Baratz KH, Buettner H. Intraocular methotrexate in ocular diseases other than primary central nervous system lymphoma. Am J Ophthalmol. 2006 Nov;142(5):883-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ajo.2006.06.002.

    PubMed 17056381
  • Ghajarnia M, Kurup S, Eller A. The therapeutic effects of intravitreal bevacizumab in a patient with recalcitrant idiopathic polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. Semin Ophthalmol. 2007 Apr-Jun;22(2):127-31. doi: 10.1080/08820530701421635.

    PubMed 17564935

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Methotrexate intravenous 25mg/ml in people with Diabetic Macular Edema, run by Wake Forest University 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 8 inclusion and 19 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: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 23 Jan 2018. 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.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 30 Jun 2014). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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?

30% Decrease in One Subfield Thickness on Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) 4 Weeks After the Last Intraocular Injection (time frame: 4 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00779142, which also lists 6 linked publications.

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 23 Jan 2018.

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