ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT03110315DREAMUpdated Feb 3, 2025Results posted

A Study of Suvorexant in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Fatigue and Insomnia

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

Phase
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
36
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 75 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

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.

Read the detailed description

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.

02

Conditions studied

  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Fatigue
  • Insomnia

Keywords

  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Fatigue
  • Insomnia
  • Suvorexant
  • Belsomra
  • Sleep disorder
  • Sleep
03

In context

Multiple Sclerosis

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 →

Lead sponsor

Theodore R. Brown, MD MPH is the lead sponsor of 2 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 75 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

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.

Inclusion criteria

  • Diagnosis of multiple sclerosis made at least 3 months prior based on McDonald criteria;
  • Age 18-75 inclusive;
  • Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 0- 7.5;
  • Clinical stability defined as no multiple sclerosis exacerbation or change in disease modifying therapy for 60 days prior to screening;
  • Screening Fatigue Severity Scale score of ≥4.0;
  • 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:

    • One of the following: difficulty initiating sleep; difficulty maintaining sleep; or early morning waking;
    • Sleep disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, educational, academic, behavioral, or other important areas of functioning;
    • Sleep difficulty has occurred on 3 or more nights per week;
    • Sleep difficulty has been present for at least the past 3 months;
    • Sleep difficulty occurs despite adequate opportunity for sleep;
    • Insomnia is not explained by another sleep disorder;
    • Insomnia is not attributable to physiological effects of a consumed substance;
  • May use other medications that could influence sleep, other than those specifically prohibited, as long as the dose is stable for 4 weeks preceding screening, with no dose changes during the study;
  • Signed and dated Institutional Review Board-approved informed consent form before any protocol-specific screening procedures have been performed.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Use of potential multiple sclerosis-associated fatigue drugs within 3 days of screening until study completion, including modafinil, armodafinil, amantadine, methylphenidate, products with amphetamine or dextroamphetamine;
  • Use of any of any prohibited medication (including Digoxin, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, opiates, Zolpidem, Zaleplon, Eszopiclone, moderate or strong CYP3A inhibitors, or strong inducers of CYP3A) from 3 days prior to screening to termination visit;
  • Female who is breast-feeding, pregnant, or has the potential to become pregnant during the course of the study (fertile and unwilling/unable to use effective contraceptive measures);
  • History of narcolepsy;
  • Has a diagnosis of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), defined by forced expiratory volume 1 (FEV1) \< 50% of predicted on most recent available pulmonary function test (PFT). Pulmonary function test is not required if the subject has never been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;
  • Has a history of severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), with severe obstructive sleep apnea defined as having an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) > 30 on prior polysomnograph (PSG). Polysomnograph is not required if there is no history of obstructive sleep apnea;
  • Is concurrently using other central nervous system (CNS) depressants, including alcohol, except that one alcoholic drink per day will be allowed for those with normal hepatic function provided the drink is consumed at least 2 hours prior to or 8 hours after taking the study drug. Medical marijuana is allowed if consumed at the patient's usual dose at least 2 hours prior to or 8 hours after taking the study drug. Recreational marijuana is not allowed from screening until end of study;
  • Has evidence at screening of severe hepatic impairment as defined by a Child-Pugh score > 10;
  • Cognitive impairment that in the opinion of the investigator would prevent completion of study procedures or the ability to provide informed consent;
  • Suicidality or severe depression as measured by screening Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI) score > 28 or score of >1 on Beck Depression Inventory II Question 9 (suicidality screen) at any time during the study;
  • Any other serious and/or unstable medical condition.
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Crossover assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Investigator)
Enrollment
36 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Suvorexant

    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 comparator
    Placebo

    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

Interventions

  • See detailed information in associated Arm Description.

    Also known as: Belsomra

  • DrugPlacebo

    Sugar pill manufactured to mimic suvorexant 10 mg tablet.

    Also known as: Sugar pill

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. 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

Secondary outcomes

  1. 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

  2. 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

  3. 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

Other outcomes

  1. Sleep Latency

    A measure of minutes between being awake and falling asleep.

    Time frame: Change from Baseline to 2 Weeks

  2. 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

07

Results

Posted Feb 3, 2025
Limitations and caveats
This was a small study done at two centers with treatment windows limited to two weeks including dose escalation. A two-week exposure may have been inadequate to elicit full treatment effect. It is also possible that the one-week washout period was insufficient.

Participant flow

36 subjects were enrolled

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneSuvorexant Followed by PlaceboPlacebo Followed by Suvorexant
Started1818
Completed1718
Not completed10
Withdrew: Withdrawal by subject10

Outcome measures

PrimaryChange 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
Reported as:
Median · score on a scale
Change in Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) Score
score on a scaleSuvorexantPlacebo
Change in Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) Score-4 (-8 to -2)-2 (-5 to 0)
SecondaryChange 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
Reported as:
Median · score on a scale
Change in Modified Fatigue Index Scale (MFIS) Score
score on a scaleSuvorexantPlacebo
Change in Modified Fatigue Index Scale (MFIS) Score-10.5 (-16.5 to -3.5)-8.5 (-15 to 1.5)
SecondaryPatient 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
Reported as:
Median · score on a scale
Patient Global Impression of Change
score on a scaleSuvorexantPlacebo
Patient Global Impression of Change0 (0 to 1)0 (0 to 1)
SecondaryFatigue 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
Reported as:
Median · score on a scale
Fatigue Visual Analog Scale
score on a scaleSuvorexantPlacebo
Fatigue Visual Analog Scale-5 (-20 to 5.61)-5 (-15 to 0)
Other pre-specifiedSleep Latency

A measure of minutes between being awake and falling asleep.

Time frame:
Change from Baseline to 2 Weeks
Reported as:
Median · Minutes
Sleep Latency
MinutesSuvorexantPlacebo
Sleep Latency-4.29 (-26.05 to 5.61)-2.8 (-17.45 to 10.38)
Other pre-specifiedSubjective 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
Reported as:
Median · Score on a Scale
Subjective Quality of Sleep (sQUAL)
Score on a ScaleSuvorexantPlacebo
Subjective Quality of Sleep (sQUAL)0 (0 to 1)0 (0 to 1)

Adverse events

Collected over 5 weeks from Baseline to end of study.. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Suvorexant0/35 (0%)0/35 (0%)7/35 (20%)
Placebo0/35 (0%)0/35 (0%)1/35 (2.9%)
Most frequent other events
Most frequent other events
EventSuvorexantPlacebo
HeadacheGeneral disorders3/351/35
Sleep DisturbanceGeneral disorders2/350/35
Dry MouthGeneral disorders1/350/35
DizzinessGeneral disorders1/350/35
Increased DepressionPsychiatric disorders1/350/35

Baseline characteristics

Age, Categorical
Age, Categorical(Participants)Suvorexant Followed by PlaceboPlacebo Followed by SuvorexantTotal
<=18 years000
Between 18 and 65 years151530
>=65 years336
Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)Suvorexant Followed by PlaceboPlacebo Followed by SuvorexantTotal
Mean50.333 ± 13.41255.118 ± 10.77552.657 ± 12.616
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Suvorexant Followed by PlaceboPlacebo Followed by SuvorexantTotal
Female121224
Male6612
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants)Suvorexant Followed by PlaceboPlacebo Followed by SuvorexantTotal
Hispanic or Latino101
Not Hispanic or Latino171835
Unknown or Not Reported000
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)Suvorexant Followed by PlaceboPlacebo Followed by SuvorexantTotal
United States181836
08

Study locations

1 site
  • EvergreenHealth Multiple Sclerosis Center
    Kirkland, Washington 98034, United States
09

References and documents

Study documents

  • Protocol and statistical analysis plan · Oct 29, 2020

Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — There is no plan to share individual participant data.

10

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

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.

Registered
Mar 28, 2017
First posted
Apr 12, 2017
StartActual
Mar 28, 2017
Primary completionActual
Mar 21, 2022
CompletionActual
Mar 21, 2022
Results first posted
Feb 3, 2025
Last update
Feb 3, 2025
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Feb 3, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03110315
Lead sponsor
Theodore R. Brown, MD MPH
Responsible party
Theodore R. Brown, MD MPH (Principal Investigator, EvergreenHealth) — Sponsor-investigator
First posted
Apr 12, 2017
Start date
Mar 28, 2017
Primary completion
Mar 21, 2022
Completion
Mar 21, 2022
Results posted
Feb 3, 2025
Last update
Feb 3, 2025

Study contacts

Theodore R Brown, MD, MPH
principal investigator · EvergreenHealth Multiple Sclerosis Center

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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