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OpenTrials
Active, Not Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT05378100

Ketamine for Multiple Sclerosis Fatigue

The proposed study is a single-center, phase II, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, active-placebo-controlled trial of intravenous low-dose ketamine in patients with MS fatigue.

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

Key information

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland, 21287, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Subject must be a man or woman, 18 to 65 years of age, inclusive.
  • Subject must be medically stable based on physical examination, medical history, and vital signs
  • Subject must meet McDonald 2017 diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis based on the PI review of the medical records
  • Subject must complain from fatigue as one of their main symptoms and have a screening MFIS score equal or higher than the cutoff based on gender, age, and education displayed in Table-226
  • Subject must be ambulatory (able to walk at least 20 feet using bilateral assistance)
  • Subject must have internet and email access and ability to use a computer or tablet or smartphone
  • Subjects that are currently taking medication for alleviating fatigue (such as amantadine, modafinil and armodafinil, and amphetamine-like psychostimulants) at Screening are eligible to participate unless the medication is one of the disallowed therapies (Table 3). Subjects taking a fatigue medication at the Screening visit must have been receiving a stable dose for at least four weeks before the Screening visit and be willing to continue the medication at the same dose for the duration of the study.

Exclusion criteria

  • BDI-II score of more than 29 (indicating severe depression)
  • Having a known clear cause for secondary fatigue, such as untreated sleep apnea, untreated hypothyroidism, chronic liver disease, history of moderate to severe anemia (hemoglobin concentration of less than 9 gr/dl in men or less than 8 gr/dl in women).
  • Neurodegenerative disorders other than relapsing or progressive MS
  • Breastfeeding or pregnant
  • History of coronary artery disease or congestive heart failure
  • Uncontrolled hypertension at Screening (history of high blood pressure and screening systolic blood pressure >160 or diastolic blood pressure>100)
  • History of severe liver disease, including cirrhosis
  • Terminal medical conditions
  • Currently treated for active malignancy
  • Alcohol or substance abuse in the past year (except marijuana or other cannabinoids)
  • A history of intolerance or allergic or anaphylactic reaction to ketamine or midazolam
  • Clinically unstable medical or psychiatric disorders that require acute treatment as determined by the PI
  • History of severe or untreated coronary artery disease or history of congestive heart failure
  • History of prior ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke and cerebral vascular aneurysms.
  • History of recurrent seizures or epilepsy
  • Taking any disallowed therapy(ies), as noted in the protocol.

Treatment and study plan

ketamine

Drug

Infusion of ketamine 0.5 mg/kg over 40 minutes

midazolam

Drug

Infusion of midazolam 0.05 mg/kg over 40 minutes

Primary outcomes

  1. Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) Score

    Time frame: Baseline (infusion visit) through four weeks after the infusion.

    The total score of the MFIS ranges from 0 to 84. Higher scores denote more severe fatigue.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS)

    Time frame: Baseline (infusion visit) through four weeks after the infusion.

    The total score of the FSS ranges from 1 to 7. Higher scores denote more severe fatigue.

  2. Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)

    Time frame: Baseline (infusion visit) through four weeks after the infusion.

    The total score of the ESS ranges from 0 to 24. Higher scores denote more severe sleepiness.

  3. Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II)

    Time frame: Baseline (infusion visit) through four weeks after the infusion.

    The total score of the BDI-IIranges from 0 to 63. Higher scores denote more severe depression.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Johns Hopkins University

Other

Collaborators

  • United States Department of Defense

Registry information

Official study title

Low-Dose Ketamine Infusion for the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis Fatigue (INKLING-MS)

Acronym: INKLING-MS

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
May 18, 2022
Registry last updated
May 28, 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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