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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02102698

Ecopipam Treatment of Tourette's Syndrome in Subjects 7-17 Years

Tourette's Syndrome is a neurological disease characterized by motor and vocal tics. It has been hypothesized that abnormal interactions of dopamine with its receptors may cause the tics. The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that a drug (ecopipam) that selectively blocks dopamine D1/D5 receptors can reduce the frequency and severity of the tics.

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Key information

Age range

7 year–17 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

UCLA, Los Angeles, California, United States

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About this study

This is a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study to determine whether ecopipam can reduce the symptoms of Tourette's in children age 7-17 years.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

• Subjects must have Tourette's Syndrome (TS) based on the clinician-administered Diagnostic Confidence Index (DCI) for TS.

  • Subjects must exhibit both motor and vocal tics.
  • Subjects must have a minimum score of 20 at both Screening and Baseline (just prior to the first treatment) on the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale.
  • Subjects must be age (≥ 7 to < 18 years of age)
  • Subjects must weigh ≥ 20 kg (45 lbs)
  • Adolescent females of childbearing potential who are sexually active must be using effective contraception (i.e., oral contraceptives, intrauterine device, double barrier method of condom and spermicide) and agree to continue use of contraception for the duration of their participation in the study. They must also agree to use contraception for 30 days after their last dose of study drug.
  • Sexually active male subjects must use a barrier method of contraception during the study and agree to continue the use of male contraception for at least 30 days after the last dose of study drug.
  • Subject's parent or legal guardian must execute a written informed consent.
  • Subject must execute a written informed assent.

Exclusion criteria

  • Subjects who have unstable medical illness or clinically significant abnormalities on laboratory tests, or ECG at Screening.
  • Subjects with a major depressive episode in the past 2 years
  • Subjects with a history of attempted suicide
  • Subjects with clinically significant suicidality (based on the Columbia Suicide Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
  • Subjects with a first-degree relative with a major depressive episode that resulted in any psychiatric hospitalization, or attempted/ completed suicide with the exception of a hospitalization for post-partum depression.
  • Subjects with a history of seizures (excluding febrile seizures that occurred >2 years in the past)
  • Subjects with a myocardial infarction within 6 months.
  • Girls who are currently pregnant or lactating.
  • Subjects who have a need for medication (other than ecopipam) with possible effects on TS symptoms (i.e., lithium, psychostimulants)
  • Subjects who have a need for medications which would have unfavorable interactions with ecopipam, e.g., dopamine antagonists or agonists [including bupropion], tetrabenazine, or monoamine oxidase inhibitors.
  • Subjects with a lifetime history of bipolar disorder type I or II, dementia, schizophrenia, or any psychotic disorder determined by the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - 4th Edition (DSM-IV) Axis-I Disorders (SCID).
  • Subjects with current or recent (past 3 months) DSM-IV substance abuse or dependence (with the exception of nicotine).
  • Subjects with positive urine drug screen (cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), benzodiazepines, barbiturates, phencyclidine (PCP), opiates) at Screening. Subjects with urine positive only for benzodiazepines and/or marijuana (i.e., a user but not an abuser as based on DSM-IV criteria) may be eligible.
  • Subjects who have had previous treatment with ecopipam.
  • Subjects who have had treatment with:
  • investigational medication within 3 months of starting study
  • depot neuroleptics within 3 months of starting study
  • other psychotropics with possible effects on TS symptoms (i.e., lithium, tetrabenazine) within 2 weeks prior to Screening.
  • oral neuroleptics within 4 weeks
  • selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors unless the dosage has been stable for a minimum of 4 weeks prior to study start and not prescribed to relieve the neurological signs of TS

Treatment and study plan

Ecopipam

Drug

Ecopipam is a selective antagonist of the dopamine D1 receptor family.

Primary outcomes

  1. Yale Global Tic Severity Scale - Total Tic Score

    Time frame: Baseline and 30 days

    The Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) is the standard rating scale used to assess the effects of a new treatment on the symptoms of Tourette's Disorder (TD).

    The YGTSS is a clinician-rated, multi-dimensional instrument for assessing tic symptom severity in children and adults with TD. Both motor and vocal tics are assessed for symptom number, frequency, intensity, complexity, and interference on a 0-5 Likert scale. Scores from each dimension are totaled to reflect the severity of motor tics (range 0-25) (min of 0 to max 25), vocal tics (range 0-25) (min of 0 to max 25) and combined tics, or Total Tic Score (TTS) (range 0-50) (min of 0 to max of 50, sum of motor tics and vocal tic scores). For all scores, lower score represents better outcome.

    The primary outcome measure is the YGTSS-TTS (Yale Global Tic Severity Scale Total Tic Score which includes both the motor and phonic tic scores).

Secondary outcomes

  1. YGTSS Day 16

    Time frame: Baseline and Day 16

    The Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) is the standard rating scale used to assess the effects of a new treatment on the symptoms of Tourette's Disorder (TD).

    The YGTSS is a clinician-rated, multi-dimensional instrument for assessing tic symptom severity in children and adults with TD. Both motor and vocal tics are assessed for symptom number, frequency, intensity, complexity, and interference on a 0-5 Likert scale. Scores from each dimension are totaled to reflect the severity of motor tics (range 0-25) (min of 0 to max 25), vocal tics (range 0-25) (min of 0 to max 25) and combined tics, or Total Tic Score (TTS) (range 0-50) (min of 0 to max of 50, sum of motor tics and vocal tic scores). For all scores, lower score represents better outcome. The outcome measure described is the YGTSS-TTS (Yale Global Tic Severity Scale Total Tic Score which includes both the motor and phonic tic scores) at Day 16 vs baseline.

  2. DuPaul ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) Rating Scale-IV

    Time frame: Baseline and 30 days

    This is a validated rating scale for the symptoms of attention deficit disorder. Scale includes 18 core items, with higher score indicating greater severity of ADHD (Total score 0-54). These scores are compared from baseline and 30 days below; There are also subscales but not individually shown. The subscales include 9 items measured for Inattention; 9 for Hyperactivity/Impulsivity. A score of 2 or 3 on any item is considered clinically significant. Measure on 4-point Likert scale and also include optional performance items. Raw scores are summed for each subscale. Scores are compared to norm-referenced percentiles based on age and gender. Higher scores may indicate ADHD.

  3. Child Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale

    Time frame: Baseline and 30 days

    The CY-BOCS is a clinician-rated, 10-item scale to both determine severity of OCD and to monitor improvement during treatment, with a higher score indicating greater severity.

    The scale is a clinician-rated, 10-item scale (5 items regarding severity and 5 items regarding obsessions) that includes questions about the amount of time spent on obsessions/compulsions, level of impairment or distress, and how much resistance and control subjects have over these thoughts. The 10 items are assessed on a 6-point scale with an overall score. Total score from 0 to 40 with higher score indicating greater severity. Total score change shown below.

  4. Clinical Global Impression Scale - Severity

    Time frame: Baseline and 30 days

    Clinical Global Impression Scales (improvement and severity) are validated rating scales that measure whether the treatment improves the symptoms of the disease (CGI-I) and whether the treatment reduces the severity of the disease (CGI-S). The CGI consists of two reliable and valid 7-item Likert scales used to assess severity and change in clinical symptoms. The severity scale (CGI-S) ranges from 1 (Normal, not ill) to 7 (extremely ill). The improvement scale (CGI-I) ranges from 1 (very much improved) to 7 (very much worse) with a score of 1 or 2 defining positive response. The improvement rating compares the subject's overall clinical condition to the Baseline visit and the rater should consider the following question: "Compared to tic severity at baseline, how much has the subject changed?" Data shows how much improvement at Day 30 with Ecopipam vs Placebo.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Emalex Biosciences Inc.

Industry

Collaborators

  • Psyadon Pharma

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2019
Study completion
2019
First posted
Apr 3, 2014
Registry last updated
May 22, 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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