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NCT Number: NCT03866668

A Study of Esomeprazole in Children With Autism

Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by core deficits in social behavior and communication and the presence of repetitive/stereotyped behaviors. The objective of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of Esomeprazole as a treatment for social communication deficits in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This prospective 12 week open-label study will invite 25 children with ASD between the ages of 2 and 6 years of age to participate.

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Key information

Age range

2 year–6 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • outpatients 2 to 6 years of age;
  • males and females who are physically healthy;
  • diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder based on clinical evaluation and DSM-5 criteria, and confirmed using the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised, and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule or Childhood Autism Rating Scale second edition (CARS-2)
  • care provider who could reliably bring subject to clinic visits, could provide trustworthy ratings, and interacted with subject on a regular basis;
  • ability of subject to swallow the compound;
  • stable concomitant medications for at least 2 weeks (4 weeks if patient took fluoxetine);
  • no planned changes in psychosocial interventions during the open-label trial.

Exclusion criteria

  • DSM-5 diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or psychotic disorder not otherwise specified;
  • prior adequate trial of Esomeprazole;
  • active medical problems such as unstable seizures, or significant physical illness (e.g., serious liver or renal pathology).

Treatment and study plan

Esomeprazole

Drug

Esomeprazole Dosage (Weight Less Than 20 kg) -- 10 mg QD for 8 weeks Esomeprazole Dosage (Weight 20 kg or Greater) -- 10 mg QD for 4 weeks followed by 20 mg QD for 4 weeks

Other names: Nexium

Primary outcomes

  1. Change from Baseline on the Social Responsiveness Scale, 2nd Edition (SRS-2)

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 Weeks, 8 Weeks

    Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) raw scores measure social abilities with lower raw scores meaning better social abilities. (Raw Score Range: 0 - 195)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change from Baseline on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, 2nd Edition (ABC-2)

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 Weeks, 8 Weeks

    Higher scores indicate more symptoms, lower scores indicate fewer symptoms. Irritability scores can range from 0-45. Lethargy scores can range from 0-48. Stereotypy scores can range from 0-21. Hyperactivity scores can range from 0-48. Inappropriate speech scores can from 0-12.

Other outcomes

  1. Change from Baseline on the Short Sensory Profile Questionnaire (SSPQ)

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 Weeks, 8 Weeks

  2. Change from Baseline on the Repetitive Behavoiors Scale- Revised (RBS-R)

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 Weeks, 8 Weeks

  3. Change from Baseline on the Stanford Social Motivation Scale (SSMS)

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 Weeks, 8 Weeks

  4. Change from Baseline on the Vineland Adaptive Behavoir Scales - 3 (VABS-3)

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 Weeks, 8 Weeks

  5. Change from Baseline on the Dimensional Assessment of Repetitive Behavior (DARB)

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 Weeks, 8 Weeks

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Briana Hernandez

CONTACT

[email protected]

(650)736-1235

Nina Raman

CONTACT

[email protected]

(650)736-1235

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Stanford University

Other

Collaborators

  • SPARK (Stanford University)

Registry information

Official study title

An Open-Label Pilot Study of Esomeprazole in Children With Autism

Important dates

Study start
2019
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
Mar 7, 2019
Registry last updated
Jun 25, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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