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WithdrawnNCT03740178Updated Apr 25, 2025

Multiple Dose Trial of MK-4334 in Participants With Alzheimer's Clinical Syndrome (MK-4334-005)

A Phase 1 interventional study of MK-4334 and Placebo to MK-4334 in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment, sponsored by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC. Withdrawn. Open to participants aged 55 Years to 85 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-04-25.

Sponsored by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC · Phase 1, Interventional, and Treatment

Why this study was withdrawn
Development program discontinuation
Phase
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
0
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
55 Years to 85 Years
Sex
All
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Study summary

This study will evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of MK-4334 administered once daily (QD) in participants with Alzheimer's clinical syndrome receiving a stable, daily dose of donepezil 10 mg, taken orally (PO). This includes participants with symptoms of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is hypothesized that the true geometric mean minimum plasma concentration at 24 hours (C24) is at least 60 nM at steady state in the presence of steady-state donepezil 10 mg.

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Conditions studied

  • Alzheimer's Disease
  • Mild Cognitive Impairment
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In context

Alzheimer Disease

3,678 studies on the registry are indexed under Alzheimer Disease; 872 are open to participants now.

Browse Alzheimer Disease studies →

Lead sponsor

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC is the lead sponsor of 2,114 studies on the registry; 133 are open to participants now.

Of its 489 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 362 (74%) have results posted.

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

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
55 Years to 85 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

Participants with MCI

  • Have a history of subjective memory decline with gradual onset and slow progression for at least one year before screening.
  • Have general cognitive function and activities of daily living sufficiently intact, based on clinical assessment, so as not to meet criteria for mild AD dementia based on National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Diseases and Stroke/Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association (NINCDS-ADRDA) criteria.
  • Have a Mini Mental State Exam-2 (MMSE-2) score ≥24.
  • Have a Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale score of 0.5, including a memory subscale score ≥ 0.5.

Participants with AD

  • Have a history of cognitive and functional decline with gradual onset and slow progression for at least one year before screening.
  • Meet the criteria for a diagnosis of probable AD based on NINCDS-ADRDA criteria.
  • Have a MMSE-2 score ≥ 12 to ≤ 24 at screening.
  • Have a CDR score of 1 to 2.

All Participants

  • Have a Rosen-Modified Hachinski score ≤ 4.
  • Be on a stable dose of donepezil 10 mg PO daily for symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer's clinical syndrome. The dose must be stable for ≥2 months prior to screening.
  • Be in good health based on medical history, physical examination, vital sign (VS) measurements and electrocardiograms (ECGs) performed prior to randomization.
  • Have a Body Mass Index (BMI) ≤ 35 kg/m\^2.
  • If female, is a woman of non-childbearing potential (WONCBP).
  • If male, must agree to either remain abstinent or use contraception during the intervention period and for ≥28 days after the last dose of study intervention.
  • Have acceptable venous access.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Is at imminent risk of self-harm, based on clinical interview and responses on the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), or of harm to others in the opinion of the investigator.
  • Has a history of uncontrolled endocrine, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, hematological, hepatic, immunological, renal, respiratory, genitourinary, or major neurological (including stroke and chronic seizures) abnormalities or diseases.
  • Has evidence of a clinically relevant or unstable psychiatric disorder, based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) criteria, including schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, or delirium, at the time of prestudy (screening) visit, or has a history of clinically significant psychiatric disorder of the last 5 years.
  • Has a history of cancer (malignancy), except for: 1.) adequately-treated nonmelanomatous skin carcinoma or carcinoma in situ of the cervix or; 2.) Other malignancies which have been successfully treated with appropriate follow up and therefore unlikely to recur for the duration of the study.
  • Participant has an estimated creatinine clearance (CrCl) ≤55 mL/min based on the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD).
  • Has a history of significant multiple and/or severe allergies (e.g., food, drug, latex allergy), or has had an anaphylactic reaction or significant intolerability (i.e., systemic allergic reaction) to prescription or non-prescription drugs or food.
  • Is positive for hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis C antibodies or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
  • Had major surgery, donated or lost 1 unit of blood (approximately 500 mL) within 4 weeks prior to the prestudy (screening) visit.
  • Is unable to refrain from or anticipates the use of strong or moderate inhibitors or inducers of Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 (CYP3A4) and CYP2C19 beginning approximately 28 days prior to administration of the initial dose of study drug, throughout the study, and until the post-trial visit.
  • Has participated in another investigational study within 4 weeks (or 5 half-lives, whichever is greater) prior to the prestudy (screening) visit.
  • Has a rate-corrected QT (QTc) interval ≥470 msec (for males) or ≥480 msec (for females).
  • Is a smoker and/or has used nicotine or nicotine-containing products (e.g., nicotine patch and electronic cigarette) within 3 months of screening.
  • Consumes greater than 3 glasses of alcoholic beverages (1 glass is approximately equivalent to: beer [354 mL/12 ounces], wine [118 mL/4 ounces], or distilled spirits [29.5 mL/1 ounce]) per day.
  • Consumes excessive amounts, defined as greater than 6 servings of coffee, tea, cola, energy drinks, or other caffeinated beverages per day.
  • Is a regular user of cannabis, any illicit drugs or has a history of drug (including alcohol) abuse within approximately 2 years. Participants must have a negative urine drug screen prior to randomization.
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
0 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Donepezil + MK-4334

    Oral MK-4334 60/120 mg QD and open-label, oral donepezil 10 mg QD.

    Drug: MK-4334 · Drug: Donepepzil

  • Placebo comparator
    Donepezil + Placebo

    Placebo to MK-4334 QD and open-label, oral donepezil 10 mg QD.

    Drug: Placebo to MK-4334 · Drug: Donepepzil

Interventions

  • DrugMK-4334

    Participants with Alzheimer's clinical syndrome (MCI or mild/moderate AD) will receive MK-4334 capsules administered orally, QD on Days 1-14. Participants will receive an initial loading dose of 120 mg (Day 1), followed by a maintenance dose of 60 mg (Days 2-14). Open-label donepezil tablets (dose strength: 10 mg) administered orally, QD on Days 1-14.

    Also known as: Aricept

  • DrugPlacebo to MK-4334

    Participants with Alzheimer's clinical syndrome (MCI or mild/moderate AD)will receive placebo capsules matching MK-4334 administered orally, QD on Days 1-14. Participants will also receive open-label donepezil tablets (dose strength: 10 mg) administered orally, QD on Days 1-14.

    Also known as: Aricept

  • DrugDonepepzil

    Participants with Alzheimer's clinical syndrome (MCI or mild/moderate AD) will receive open-label, oral donepezil 10 mg QD on Days 1-14.

    Also known as: Aricept

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of Participants Experiencing an Adverse Event (AE)

    An AE is any unfavorable and unintended sign, symptom, or disease (new or exacerbated) in a clinical study participant, temporally associated with the use of study intervention, whether or not considered related to the study treatment. For each arm, the number of participants experiencing an AE will be assessed.

    Time frame: Up to 42 days

  2. Number of Participants Discontinuing Study Treatment due to an Adverse Event

    An AE is any unfavorable and unintended sign, symptom, or disease (new or exacerbated) in a clinical study participant, temporally associated with the use of study treatment, whether or not considered related to the study treatment. For each arm, the number of participants discontinuing study treatment due to an AE will be assessed.

    Time frame: Up to 14 days

Secondary outcomes

  1. Plasma Steady State Concentration at 24 Hours (C24) of MK-4334

    Plasma steady state concentration at 24 hours (C24) will be reported.

    Time frame: Day 14: Pre-dose and 24 hours after MK-4334 administration

  2. Plasma Steady State Area Under the Concentration-Time Curve from 0 to 24 hours (AUC0-24) of MK-4334

    Plasma steady state area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 hours (AUC0-24) will be reported.

    Time frame: Day 14: Pre-dose and 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24 hours after MK-4334 administration

  3. Plasma Steady State Maximum Concentration (Cmax) of MK-4334

    Plasma steady state maximum concentration (Cmax) will be reported.

    Time frame: Day 14: Pre-dose and 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 48, 120, 240, 360, and 480 hours after MK-4334 administration

  4. Plasma Steady State Apparent Half-Life (t1/2) of MK-4334

    Plasma steady state apparent half-life (t1/2) will be reported.

    Time frame: Day 14: Pre-dose and 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 48, 120, 240, 360, and 480 hours after MK-4334 administration

  5. Plasma Steady State Time to Maximum Concentration (Tmax) of MK-4334

    Plasma steady state time to maximum concentration (Tmax) will be reported.

    Time frame: Day 14: Pre-dose and 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 48, 120, 240, 360, and 480 hours after MK-4334 administration

  6. Plasma Steady State Apparent Clearance (CL/F) of MK-4334

    Plasma steady state apparent clearance (CL/F) will be reported.

    Time frame: Day 14: Pre-dose and 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 48, 120, 240, 360, and 480 hours after MK-4334 administration

  7. Plasma Steady State Apparent Volume of Distribution (Vz/F) of MK-4334

    Plasma steady state apparent volume of distribution (Vz/F) will be reported.

    Time frame: Day 14: Pre-dose and 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 48, 120, 240, 360, and 480 hours after MK-4334 administration

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Study locations

No study locations are listed for this record.

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References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — https://trialstransparency.msdclinicaltrials.com/pdf/ProcedureAccessClinicalTrialData.pdf

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 25, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03740178
Lead sponsor
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Nov 14, 2018
Start date
Sep 27, 2019 (estimated)
Primary completion
Feb 28, 2020 (estimated)
Completion
Feb 28, 2020 (estimated)
Last update
Apr 25, 2025

Study contacts

Medical Director
study director · Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

Oversight

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

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