A Phase 4 interventional study of Suvorexant and Placebo in Multiple Sclerosis, Fatigue and Insomnia, sponsored by Theodore R. Brown, MD MPH. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-02-03.
Sponsored by Theodore R. Brown, MD MPH · Phase 4, Interventional, and Treatment
This study assesses the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of suvorexant in multiple sclerosis patients. Enrolled subjects will receive 2 weeks of treatment during treatment period 1 with either suvorexant or matching placebo (1:1). After treatment period 1, subjects will undergo a washout period of 1 week then 2 weeks of the alternate treatment (either suvorexant or placebo). The primary hypothesis is that suvorexant will provide greater improvement in sleep, as measured by symptom rating scales, compared to placebo.
The target enrollment number is 30 people with multiple sclerosis who meet inclusion criteria. After informed consent is given, potential subjects will be screened to ensure they meet eligibility criteria. Subjects who meet eligibility criteria will complete baseline assessments and will then be randomized to receive 2 weeks of treatment (Treatment Period 1) with either suvorexant or matching placebo (1:1). The initial dose of suvorexant will be 10 mg at bedtime, with optional titration to 20 mg after 5-7 days. Study drug will be dispensed by an independent research pharmacist, keeping both study staff and the subject blinded. All subjects, whether in placebo or active arm, will receive a wearable sleep monitor to be worn for 7 days at baseline, and during both treatment periods. All subjects will keep 7-day sleep diaries at baseline and during each study period. At the end of Treatment Period 1 (2 weeks), subjects will undergo efficacy assessments with repeated clinical scales. Subjects will then go through a 1-week open-label off-drug washout period. Subjects will then be crossed over into the alternate treatment group, which will once again be double-blinded; those on active treatment (suvorexant) in Treatment Period 1 will be switched to placebo, and those on placebo in Treatment Period 1 will be switched to active treatment. Treatment Period 2 will also be 2 weeks long, and at the end of this, subjects will undergo final assessment with clinical scales.
3,524 studies on the registry are indexed under Multiple Sclerosis; 668 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 36 is below the median of 50 across 2,386 interventional studies indexed under Multiple Sclerosis.
Browse Multiple Sclerosis studies →Theodore R. Brown, MD MPH is the lead sponsor of 2 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.
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Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Has Insomnia Disorder defined by diagnostic criteria published in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5); namely, subject report of all of the following:
Exclusion Criteria:
Suvorexant - 10 mg (one tablet) taken by mouth once daily at bedtime with option to up-titrate to 20 mg (two tablets) taken by mouth once daily at bedtime.
Drug: Suvorexant
Placebo - one tablet taken by mouth once daily at bedtime and two tablets taken by mouth daily at bedtime if subject up-titrates.
Drug: Placebo
See detailed information in associated Arm Description.
Also known as: Belsomra
Sugar pill manufactured to mimic suvorexant 10 mg tablet.
Also known as: Sugar pill
Change in Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) Score
7-question survey assessing symptoms of insomnia over the past week. Maximum score is 28, minimum is 0, with higher scores indicating greater severity. Guidelines for Scoring/Interpretation: Add scores for all seven items = \_\_\_\_\_ Total score ranges from 0-28 0-7 = No clinically significant insomnia 8-14 = Subthreshold insomnia 15-21 = Clinical insomnia (moderate
Time frame: Change from Baseline to 2 Weeks
Change in Modified Fatigue Index Scale (MFIS) Score
This scale has 21 items with physical, cognitive and psychosocial questions regarding their fatigue levels. Subjects will complete the Modified Fatigue Index Scale (MFIS) as the first test conducted on the day of visit. Their ratings on the 21-item questionnaire will be based on their fatigue experience over the previous 1 week. Each question is on a scale from 0 to 4. Higher scores represent worse fatigue. Minimum score is 0 and maximum score is 84.
Time frame: Change from Baseline to 2 Weeks
Patient Global Impression of Change
This is a single question: "How would you rate change in your level of physical and mental function, during the study?" Responses range from "Extremely improved", "Much improved", "Slightly improved", "No change", "Slightly worse", "Much worse", and "Extremely worse". Higher score indicates improvement. Scale is 0-5 given responses. 0 is minimum, 5 is maximum.
Time frame: Change from Baseline to 2 Weeks
Fatigue Visual Analog Scale
0-100 scale rating fatigue with 0 being not fatigued at all, 100 being fatigue as bad as can be. Patients are instructed to place an "X" on the scale based on their overall level of fatigue. On the low-end of the scale are feelings of being awake and alert, having high-energy and vigor. On the high end of the scale are feelings of tiredness, drowsiness, sluggishness, low-energy, lassitude.
Time frame: Change from Baseline to 2 Weeks
Sleep Latency
A measure of minutes between being awake and falling asleep.
Time frame: Change from Baseline to 2 Weeks
Subjective Quality of Sleep (sQUAL)
This is a single question, "How would you describe the quality of your sleep last night?" There are 4 choices to answer: 1= poor, 2 = fair, 3= good, 4= excellent. 1 is Minimum, 4 is maximum. A higher score means a better outcome.
Time frame: Change from Baseline to 2 Weeks
36 subjects were enrolled
| Milestone | Suvorexant Followed by Placebo | Placebo Followed by Suvorexant |
|---|---|---|
| Started | 18 | 18 |
| Completed | 17 | 18 |
| Not completed | 1 | 0 |
| Withdrew: Withdrawal by subject | 1 | 0 |
7-question survey assessing symptoms of insomnia over the past week. Maximum score is 28, minimum is 0, with higher scores indicating greater severity. Guidelines for Scoring/Interpretation: Add scores for all seven items = \_\_\_\_\_ Total score ranges from 0-28 0-7 = No clinically significant insomnia 8-14 = Subthreshold insomnia 15-21 = Clinical insomnia (moderate
| score on a scale | Suvorexant | Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) Score | -4 (-8 to -2) | -2 (-5 to 0) |
This scale has 21 items with physical, cognitive and psychosocial questions regarding their fatigue levels. Subjects will complete the Modified Fatigue Index Scale (MFIS) as the first test conducted on the day of visit. Their ratings on the 21-item questionnaire will be based on their fatigue experience over the previous 1 week. Each question is on a scale from 0 to 4. Higher scores represent worse fatigue. Minimum score is 0 and maximum score is 84.
| score on a scale | Suvorexant | Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Modified Fatigue Index Scale (MFIS) Score | -10.5 (-16.5 to -3.5) | -8.5 (-15 to 1.5) |
This is a single question: "How would you rate change in your level of physical and mental function, during the study?" Responses range from "Extremely improved", "Much improved", "Slightly improved", "No change", "Slightly worse", "Much worse", and "Extremely worse". Higher score indicates improvement. Scale is 0-5 given responses. 0 is minimum, 5 is maximum.
| score on a scale | Suvorexant | Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Patient Global Impression of Change | 0 (0 to 1) | 0 (0 to 1) |
0-100 scale rating fatigue with 0 being not fatigued at all, 100 being fatigue as bad as can be. Patients are instructed to place an "X" on the scale based on their overall level of fatigue. On the low-end of the scale are feelings of being awake and alert, having high-energy and vigor. On the high end of the scale are feelings of tiredness, drowsiness, sluggishness, low-energy, lassitude.
| score on a scale | Suvorexant | Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Fatigue Visual Analog Scale | -5 (-20 to 5.61) | -5 (-15 to 0) |
A measure of minutes between being awake and falling asleep.
| Minutes | Suvorexant | Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep Latency | -4.29 (-26.05 to 5.61) | -2.8 (-17.45 to 10.38) |
This is a single question, "How would you describe the quality of your sleep last night?" There are 4 choices to answer: 1= poor, 2 = fair, 3= good, 4= excellent. 1 is Minimum, 4 is maximum. A higher score means a better outcome.
| Score on a Scale | Suvorexant | Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Subjective Quality of Sleep (sQUAL) | 0 (0 to 1) | 0 (0 to 1) |
Collected over 5 weeks from Baseline to end of study.. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.
| Group | Deaths | Serious | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suvorexant | 0/35 (0%) | 0/35 (0%) | 7/35 (20%) |
| Placebo | 0/35 (0%) | 0/35 (0%) | 1/35 (2.9%) |
| Event | Suvorexant | Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| HeadacheGeneral disorders | 3/35 | 1/35 |
| Sleep DisturbanceGeneral disorders | 2/35 | 0/35 |
| Dry MouthGeneral disorders | 1/35 | 0/35 |
| DizzinessGeneral disorders | 1/35 | 0/35 |
| Increased DepressionPsychiatric disorders | 1/35 | 0/35 |
| Age, Categorical(Participants) | Suvorexant Followed by Placebo | Placebo Followed by Suvorexant | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| <=18 years | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Between 18 and 65 years | 15 | 15 | 30 |
| >=65 years | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Age, Continuous(years) | Suvorexant Followed by Placebo | Placebo Followed by Suvorexant | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | 50.333 ± 13.412 | 55.118 ± 10.775 | 52.657 ± 12.616 |
| Sex: Female, Male(Participants) | Suvorexant Followed by Placebo | Placebo Followed by Suvorexant | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 12 | 12 | 24 |
| Male | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants) | Suvorexant Followed by Placebo | Placebo Followed by Suvorexant | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 17 | 18 | 35 |
| Unknown or Not Reported | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Region of Enrollment(participants) | Suvorexant Followed by Placebo | Placebo Followed by Suvorexant | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 18 | 18 | 36 |
Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.
Plan to share: No — There is no plan to share individual participant data.
Ran from Mar 2017 to primary completion in Mar 2022, 59 months.
Results were first posted in Feb 2025, 2 years 10 months after primary completion.
Of 36 non-industry phase 4 interventional studies under Multiple Sclerosis, half reached primary completion within 52 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 32 and three quarters within 60. This study's 59 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 80 studies reached it within 33 months; a quarter within 19 and three quarters within 59.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is completed, as verified in Jan 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Studies of the drug tested here: Suvorexant
Theodore R. Brown, MD MPH