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Alcohol Withdrawal SyndromePhase 4GATE INCT02090504

Comparative Study of Gamma-hydroxy Butyrate Versus Oxazepam in the Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome

A Phase 4 study testing Sodium Oxybate (SMO) and Oxazepam in people with Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome and Alcohol Dependence, run by Catholic University of the Sacred Heart at 3 sites in 2 countries.

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

Benzodiazepines (BDZs) are the gold standard in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS). Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid also known as sodium oxybate (SMO) has been tested as a treatment for AWS with encouraging results. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 21 to 75 years
What is being tested?
Sodium Oxybate (SMO) and Oxazepam
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
127 participants
Where
3 sitesin 2 countries
Study dates
Feb 2002to May 2009
Phase
Phase 4
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 21 to 75 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • age range 21-75,
  • diagnosis of alcohol dependence according to DSM-IV criteria
  • the presence of AWS as assessed by Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol-revised (CIWA-Ar) scale, a scoring system for quantitative evaluation of physical symptoms of AWS.20 Only subjects with a CIWA-Ar score equal to or higher than 10 (defined as moderate or severe AWS requiring pharmacological treatment) were ultimately enrolled in the study.

Who cannot join

  • ≤55 kg of body weight;
  • history of withdrawal fits within 24 hours pre-study;
  • history of epilepsy or epileptics seizures not properly controlled by established anti-epileptic treatment;
  • dependence from narcotics, BDZs or other drugs of abuse;
  • documented pre-existent hypersensitivity to SMO or to BDZs,
  • renal failure (blood creatinine >2•5 mg/dl and/or documented proteinuria >500 mg/die),
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  • heart failure,
  • severe respiratory failure
  • hepatic encephalopathy stage II-IV;
  • psychiatric disorders requiring treatment with psychoactive medications before the start of the study;
  • treatment with clonidine, haloperidol, bromocriptine during the last 3 months prior to participation in the study;
  • participation to other clinical investigations in the previous month prior to recruitment;
  • females whose could not assure not to become pregnant during the 1 month period of treatment, and during the subsequent 3 weeks;
  • subjects without a stable social condition or homeless.

Trial locations and contacts

3 sites in 2 countries.

3 sites in 2 countries

Italy2 sites

  • "G. Fontana" Centre for the Study and Multidisciplinary Treatment of Alcohol Addiction, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bologna

    Bologna, BO

  • Catholic University of Rome

    Rome, Rm, 00168

Other trials in Italy

Austria1 site

  • University of Wien

    Vienna, AT

Other trials in Austria

About this study

Official title: The Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid in Alcohol-dependence Treatment Efficacy (GATE) I Trial: a Comparative Study Versus Oxazepam in the Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome

Benzodiazepines (BDZs) are the gold standard in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS). Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid also known as sodium oxybate (SMO) has been tested as a treatment for AWS with encouraging results. Aim of this phase IV, multicenter randomized double-blind, double dummy study is to evaluate the efficacy of SMO in comparison to oxazepam in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal symptoms (AWS).

Read the detailed description

This is a phase IV, multicenter randomized (1:1), active drug-controlled study (double-blind, double dummy) with parallel groups evaluating the efficacy of SMO versus oxazepam in the treatment of AWS in alcohol-dependent patients.

A placebo-controlled design was considered but excluded, given that a gold standard treatment for AWS is available (i.e., BDZs).

Furthermore, considering that SMO and oxazepam have two different pharmaceutical formulation (suspension and tablets, respectively), a double-dummy design was adopted.

Thus, all subjects will receive both medications, tablets (oxazepam or placebo) and suspension (SMO or placebo), at the same time.

Being tested
Sodium Oxybate (SMO), Oxazepam
Keywords
alcohol withdrawal syndrome, treatment, sodium oxybate, oxazepam
Medical subject headings
Alcoholism

What participants receive

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

  • Sodium Oxybate (SMO)Drug

    Also called Gamma-hydroxy butyrate (GHB)

  • OxazepamDrug

Study groups in NCT02090504
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Sodium oxybate (SMO)ExperimentalPatients randomized to the first arm of the study will receive: * SMO (sodium oxybate 175 mg/ml suspension): 10ml at 8.00 a.m., 10ml at 12.00 p.m., 10ml at 7.00 p.m. from day 1 to day 5, 5ml at 8.00 a.m., 5ml at 12.00 p.m., 5ml at 7.00 pm, on days 6 and 7, and 2.5ml at 8.00 a.m., 2.5 ml at 12.00 p.m., 2.5ml at 7.00 p.m. from day 8 to day 10 (If patient's weight is > 75 kg the dosage will be of 12ml instead of 10 ml, 6ml instead of 5ml, 3 ml instead of 2.5ml); * placebo (tablets): 1 tablet at 8.00 a.m., 1 tablet at 12.00 p.m., 1 tablet at 7.00 p.m. from day 1 to day 10.
Receives: Drug: Sodium Oxybate (SMO)
OxazepamActive comparatorPatients randomized to the second arm of the study will receive: * OXAZEPAM (tablets): 60mg at 8.00 a.m., 60mg at 12.00 p.m., 90mg at 7.00 p.m. from day 1 to day 5, 30mg at 8.00 a.m., 30mg at 12.00 p.m., 30mg at 7.00 pm, on days 6 and 7, and 15mg at 8.00 a.m., 15mg at 12.00 p.m., 15mg at 7.00 p.m. from day 8 to day 10; * placebo (suspension): 10ml at 8.00 a.m., 10ml at 12.00 p.m., 10ml at 7.00 p.m. from day 1 to day 5, 5ml at 8.00 a.m., 5ml at 12.00 p.m., 5ml at 7.00 pm, on days 6 and 7, and 2.5ml at 8.00 a.m., 2.5 ml at 12.00 p.m., 2.5ml at 7.00 p.m. from day 8 to day 10, (If patient's weight is > 75 kg the dosage will be of 12ml instead of 10 ml, 6ml instead of 5ml, 3 ml instead of 2.5ml).
Receives: Drug: Oxazepam

What is being measured

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

  1. Efficacy of GHB compared to oxazepam on alcohol withdrawal symptoms

    The primary outcome was the reduction of symptoms of AWS reflected by the course of the total CIWA-Ar scores from the start (baseline) to the end of the study (day 10) and to the end of follow up (day 20, 10 days after drugs discontinuation).

    Measured: day 1, day 10, day 20

Secondary outcomes (1)

  1. Course of alcohol abstinence

    Secondary outcome variables included the course of alcohol abstinence. In order to confirm daily alcohol abstinence, a breath analyzer was used. In addition, to define those subjects remaining abstinent throughout the whole treatment period, carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (%CDT) was evaluated at the time of screening and at the end of the treatment period.

    Measured: day 1, day 10, day 20

Timeline

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

  1. First posted18 Mar 2014 (estimated)
  2. Study startFeb 2002
  3. Primary completionApr 2009
  4. Study completionMay 2009

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 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
127 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02090504
Sponsor's protocol ID
GATE-I
Acronym
GATE I
Status last verified
Mar 2014
First submitted
17 Mar 2014
Last updated
18 Mar 2014
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Skala K, Caputo F, Mirijello A, Vassallo G, Antonelli M, Ferrulli A, Walter H, Lesch O, Addolorato G. Sodium oxybate in the treatment of alcohol dependence: from the alcohol withdrawal syndrome to the alcohol relapse prevention. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2014 Feb;15(2):245-57. doi: 10.1517/14656566.2014.863278. Epub 2013 Nov 28.

    PubMed 24283802

  • Caputo F, Skala K, Mirijello A, Ferrulli A, Walter H, Lesch O, Addolorato G. Sodium oxybate in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome: a randomized double-blind comparative study versus oxazepam. The GATE 1 trial. CNS Drugs. 2014 Aug;28(8):743-52. doi: 10.1007/s40263-014-0183-1.

    PubMed 24996524

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Sodium Oxybate (SMO) and Oxazepam in people with Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome and Alcohol Dependence, run by Catholic University of the Sacred Heart at 3 sites in 2 countries.

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 14 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 18 Mar 2014. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 3 sites in Italy, Austria. 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 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

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?

Efficacy of GHB compared to oxazepam on alcohol withdrawal symptoms (time frame: day 1, day 10, day 20). 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 NCT02090504, which also lists 2 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 18 Mar 2014.

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