Efficacy of Dronabinol for the Treatment of Cervical Dystonia
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00418925 |
Recruitment Status
: Unknown
Verified August 2007 by University Health Network, Toronto.
Recruitment status was: Recruiting
First Posted
: January 5, 2007
Last Update Posted
: September 9, 2008
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
Cervical Dystonia | Drug: Dronabinol | Phase 2 |
The study is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover, phase II study of dronabinol versus placebo. Thirty patients with idiopathic cervical dystonia will be enrolled in the study. Patients will be randomized to either dronabinol or placebo by a computer-generated random numbers table that will be kept in the central pharmacy until the end of the trial. Only the central pharmacy will be aware of treatment allocation; all others will be blinded for the duration of the trial.
Regardless of treatment allocation, study participants will begin taking their assigned study medications on Day 1, increasing the "dose" (actual increase in dose for dronabinol-assigned arm, fictional increase in dose for placebo-assigned arm) every 3 days. At the end of the third week, on Day 21, the study participant will complete the first phase of study medication and remain off study medication for a period of two weeks, and will have a planned study visit. On Day 36, the study participant will have a planned study visit, the new medication will be dispensed, and the participant will begin taking the other arm of the study medication for a period of 3 weeks, in the same manner as the first arm. At the end of the 3 weeks (8 weeks in total), the study participant will discontinue the assigned study medication and will attend a planned study visit for study termination. At each visit, patients will be assessed with a medical and neurological history and examination and a video recording made for post hoc analysis of TWSTRS by a rater blinded to the treatment arm.
The main issue with compliance to study medication will relate to side-effects. Side-effects are mainly dose related and can be minimized with a dose escalation protocol, which is planned in this study. Compliance and adverse effects will be monitored by weekly phone calls for side effects and pill counts at the end of each treatment arm.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 38 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Crossover Assignment |
Masking: | Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | Phase II, Double Blind, Randomized, Placebo Controlled Trial of Dronabinol for the Treatment of Cervical Dystonia |
Study Start Date : | September 2006 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | November 2009 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | December 2009 |

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Drug: Dronabinol
- Change in the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS)with 3 weeks of active treatment compared to placebo [ Time Frame: beginning and end of each treatment ]
- To determine the rate and severity of adverse events within and between participants [ Time Frame: Beginning and end of each treatment ]
- To observe changes within and between participants in the Global Impression Scale (GIS) [ Time Frame: End of each treatment ]
- To observe changes within and between participants in the Visual Analog Pain Scale [ Time Frame: beginning and end of each treatment ]

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years to 75 Years (Adult, Senior) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- 18-75 year old male and female patients with idiopathic cervical dystonia -
Exclusion Criteria:
- Secondary causes of dystonia; history of substance abuse, psychosis, ischemic heart disease, symptomatic postural hypotension, liver disease (LFTs > 2 times normal), renal disease
- Women who are pregnant or plan on becoming pregnant during the course of the trial
- Use of botulinum toxin as a treatment for cervical dystonia in the preceding 4 months
- Use of other GABA mediated drugs including: gabapentin, phenobarbital, benzodiazepines, or baclofen
- Use of other cannabinoids in the preceding month
- Refusal to refrain from use of other cannabinoid compounds during the course of the trial
- Refusal to refrain from operating heavy machinery or driving during the course of the trial

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00418925
Contact: Susan H Fox, MD PhD | 416 603 5875 ext 5 | sfox@uhnresearch.ca |
Canada, Ontario | |
Toronto Western Hospital | Recruiting |
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5T 2S8 | |
Contact: Susan H Fox, MD PhD 416 603 5875 ext 3 sfox@uhnresearch.ca |
Principal Investigator: | Susan H Fox, MD PhD | University Health Network, Toronto |
Responsible Party: | Susan Fox, UHN Toronto |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00418925 History of Changes |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
MDC DRO 2006 |
First Posted: | January 5, 2007 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | September 9, 2008 |
Last Verified: | August 2007 |
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Dystonia Dystonic Disorders Torticollis Dyskinesias Neurologic Manifestations Nervous System Diseases Signs and Symptoms Movement Disorders Central Nervous System Diseases Dronabinol Hallucinogens Physiological Effects of Drugs |
Psychotropic Drugs Analgesics, Non-Narcotic Analgesics Sensory System Agents Peripheral Nervous System Agents Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators Neurotransmitter Agents Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action Hormones Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists |