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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03055338

An Active-Controlled Early Phase Study of Elpipodect (MK-8189) in Adults With Schizophrenia (MK-8189-005)

This will be a randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multi-site, double-blind trial of elpipodect compared with placebo, using Risperidone as an active control. The participants will be adult subjects experiencing an acute episode of schizophrenia, according to the criteria specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. (DSM-5). This study will be up to 7 weeks in duration, with up to 7 site visits for each participant. The study will consist of a Screening/tapering period (up to one week long), a 4-week treatment period, and a 14-day follow-up period. The primary objective will be to assess symptoms of schizophrenia at 4 weeks, and to assess safety and tolerability during treatment and post-treatment follow-up. The secondary objective will be to assess the severity of schizophrenia at 4 weeks. The primary hypothesis is that elpipodect is superior to placebo in reducing the overall symptoms of schizophrenia as assessed by the mean change from baseline in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score after 4 weeks of treatment.

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Key information

Conditions

Schizophrenia, Acute Episode Mental Disorders Schizophrenia Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders

Age range

18 year–50 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

Woodland International Research Group, LLC ( Site 0001), Little Rock, Arkansas, United States

Loading trial locations.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • 18 to 50 years of age at Screening
  • Male
  • Female not of reproductive potential (e.g., postmenopausal or has had a hysterectomy), or agrees to practice abstinence or use acceptable contraception
  • Meets the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia according to the DSM-5 criteria, or has a past diagnosis of schizophrenia with the onset of the first episode being >=1 year prior to study entry, and has illness duration of <=20 years
  • Is confirmed to be experiencing an acute episode of schizophrenia
  • Minimum PANSS score >= 80 at Screening
  • Has a score of >=4 in 3 or more of the following items (delusions, conceptual disorganization, hallucinatory behavior, grandiosity, suspiciousness/persecution) in the positive subscale of the PANSS at Screening
  • Has a CGI-S score >= 4 at Screening
  • Is able to taper off psychotropic medications without significant destabilization or increased suicidality
  • Has responded positively to an antipsychotic medication other than clozapine in a prior psychotic episode
  • Has an identified responsible external contact person who has regular contact (no less than once per week) with the participant

Exclusion criteria

  • Is currently under involuntary commitment because he/she is considered a danger to himself/herself or others
  • Is unwilling to remain hospitalized for the duration of trial treatment
  • Is currently participating in or has participated in an interventional clinical research study <=6 months prior to Screening, or has participated in more than one interventional clinical trial research study within 12 months prior to Screening
  • Is unwilling to allow audio/video taping of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Schizophrenia and Psychotic Disorders (MINI) and/or PANSS interview at Screening and Baseline
  • Is currently being treated with and benefiting from medications with a moderate or strong inhibiting or inducing effect on Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A and/or CYP2C9 and/or sensitive substrates of CYP2B6
  • Has a history of malignancy <= 5 years except for adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or in situ cervical cancer
  • Has a body mass index <18.5 or >40 kg/m˄2
  • Has a history of treatment-resistant schizophrenia
  • Has a prolactin laboratory value of >= 5 times the upper limit of normal at Screening
  • Has a known history or clinical evidence of clinically significant hepatic, cardiovascular, or renal disease, or of untreated narrow-angle glaucoma- Has ever been diagnosed with epilepsy or had any seizure disorder beyond one childhood febrile seizure
  • Has known serological evidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody
  • Has a history of neuroleptic malignant syndrome
  • Has a current diagnosis other than schizophrenia, or a comorbid diagnosis primarily responsible for current symptoms and functional impairment
  • Has a known history of borderline personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, or bipolar disorder
  • Has a known history of traumatic brain injury, or Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia
  • Currently meets DSM-5 criteria for substance abuse or alcohol use disorder
  • Is at imminent risk of self-harm or harm to others

Treatment and study plan

Elpipodect

Drug

Oral CR tablets (4 mg) administered QD at the following dose strengths: 4 mg (1 tablet); 8 mg (2 tablets); 12 mg (3 tablets)

Other names: MK-8189

Risperidone

Drug

Oral capsules (2 mg) administered QD at the following dose strengths: 2 mg (1 capsule); 4 mg (2 capsules); 6 mg (3 capsules)

Placebo matching MK-8189

Drug

Oral placebo tablet(s) matching the MK-8189 tablet, administered QD.

Placebo matching risperidone

Drug

Oral placebo capsule(s) matching the risperidone capsule, administered QD.

Primary outcomes

  1. Least Squares Mean (LSM) Change From Baseline in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) Total Score at Week 4

    Time frame: Baseline and Week 4

    The LSM change from baseline at week 4 was assessed for PANSS total score. The PANSS assesses the severity of schizophrenia symptoms through a clinician-rated inventory of 30 items organized in 3 subscales: 1) positive subscale (7 items); 2) negative subscale (7 items); and 3) general psychopathology subscale (16 items). For each item, symptoms are scored from 1 (absent) to 7 (extreme) and sum to a total PANSS score (range: 30-210). Higher scores reflect more severe symptoms of schizophrenia. Further, reduced symptom severity over time is reflected by decreases in score.

  2. Percentage of Participants Experiencing an Adverse Event (AE)

    Time frame: Up to 6 weeks

    The percentage of participants experiencing an AE was assessed. An AE is defined as any untoward medical occurrence in a participant administered a pharmaceutical product and which does not necessarily have to have a causal relationship with this treatment. An AE can therefore be any unfavorable and unintended sign, symptom, or disease temporally associated with the use of a medicinal product or protocol-specified procedure, whether or not considered related to the medicinal product or protocol-specified procedure. Any worsening of a preexisting condition that is temporally associated with the use of the Sponsor's product, is also an AE.

  3. Percentage of Participants Discontinuing Study Treatment Due to an Adverse Event

    Time frame: Up to 4 weeks

    The percentage of participants discontinuing study treatment due to an AE was assessed. An AE is defined as any untoward medical occurrence in a participant administered a pharmaceutical product and which does not necessarily have to have a causal relationship with this treatment. An AE can therefore be any unfavorable and unintended sign, symptom, or disease temporally associated with the use of a medicinal product or protocol-specified procedure, whether or not considered related to the medicinal product or protocol-specified procedure. Any worsening of a preexisting condition that is temporally associated with the use of the Sponsor's product, is also an AE.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Least Squares Mean (LSM) Change From Baseline in the Clinical Global Impression-Severity of Illness (CGI-S) Score at Week 4

    Time frame: Baseline and Week 4

    The LSM change from baseline at week 4 was assessed for CGI-S score. The CGI-S is a 7-point clinician-rated scale for assessing the global severity of the participant's illness. Possible CGI-S scores range from 1 (participant normal, not ill) to 7 (participant extremely ill). Further, a decrease in CGI-S score indicates reduced severity of the participant's illness.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

Industry

Registry information

Official study title

A Phase IIa, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial of the Efficacy and Safety of MK-8189 Using Risperidone as an Active Control in Subjects Experiencing an Acute Episode of Schizophrenia

Important dates

Study start
2017
Primary completion
2018
Study completion
2018
First posted
Feb 16, 2017
Registry last updated
Apr 29, 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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