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Active, not recruitingNCT03889795Updated Oct 20, 2025

Phase IB Metformin, Digoxin, Simvastatin in Solid Tumors

A Phase 1 interventional study of Metformin and Simvastatin in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer and Advanced Solid Tumor, sponsored by Danae Hamouda, MD. Active, not recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-10-20.

Sponsored by Danae Hamouda, MD · Phase 1, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
15
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This is a single-center trial in subjects with pancreatic cancer and other advanced solid tumors. It is an open-label, single arm dose escalation Phase IB trial with subjects accrued in a 3 subject dose escalation cohort. Subjects with treated advanced solid tumors, and showing disease progression on established standard therapy, will be enrolled in this trial.

Read the detailed description

This is a single-center trial in subjects with pancreatic cancer and other advanced solid tumors. It is an open-label, single arm dose escalation Phase IB trial with subjects accrued in a 3 subject dose escalation cohort. Subjects with treated advanced solid tumors, and showing disease progression on established standard therapy, will be enrolled in this trial.

C3 (Simvastatin + Digoxin + Metformin) will be given as three oral pills within recommended package insert safe levels. Subjects will be accrued in 3-subject dose escalation cohorts. 3 additional subjects will be treated at the presumptive maximum effective cohort dose/schedule for a total of 6 subjects at maximum effective level.

02

Conditions studied

  • Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
  • Advanced Solid Tumor

Keywords

  • Pancreatic
  • Solid Tumor
  • Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
  • Dose Escalation
  • Maximum Tolerated Dose
03

In context

Lead sponsor

This is the only study on the registry with Danae Hamouda, MD as lead sponsor.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  1. Subject ≥18 years with histologically confirmed solid tumor.
  2. Dose expansion subjects must have at least one tumor mass amenable to core needle biopsy.
  3. Refractory or intolerant to established standard of care.
  4. Have at least one tumor mass amenable to core needle biopsy. Adequate Archival Tissue required for patients that will take part in the dose escalation cohorts.
  5. ECOG performance status (PS) = 0-2, or Karnofsky PS ≥60%, or Lansky PS ≥60%.
  6. Normal organ and marrow function: absolute granulocyte count ≥1,000/mm3, absolute lymphocyte count ≥400/mm3, platelets ≥100,000/mm3, total bilirubin ≤ institutional upper normal limit, AST/ASL ≤2x institutional upper limit of normal, GFR >60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and creatinine \<1.5 mg/dL.
  7. Subject has recovered to CTCAE Grade 1 or better from all adverse events associated with prior therapy or surgery. Pre-existing motor or sensory neurologic pathology or symptoms must be recovered to CTCAE Grade 2 or better.
  8. If female of childbearing potential, has a negative urine or serum pregnancy test. If the urine test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a negative serum test will then be required for study entry.
  9. Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed protocol specific consent.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Anti-cancer chemotherapy, biologic therapy or immunotherapy within 3 weeks or radiation therapy within 2 weeks of first infusion.
  2. Known history of other malignancy unless having undergone curative intent therapy without evidence of that disease for ≥ 3 years except cutaneous squamous cell and basal cell skin cancer, superficial bladder cancer, in situ cervical cancer or other in situ cancers are allowed if definitively resected.
  3. Patients with only PET non-avid disease.
  4. Brain metastases unless treated with curative intent (gamma knife or surgical resection) and without evidence of progression for ≥ 2 months.
  5. Known history of rhabdomyolysis.
  6. History of or current evidence of any condition (including medical, psychiatric or substance abuse disorder), therapy, or laboratory abnormality that might confound the results of the study, interfere with the subject's participation for the full duration of the study, or is not in the best interest of the subject to participate, in the opinion of the Investigator.
  7. Known HIV or chronic Hepatitis B or C infection.
  8. Have signs and symptoms consistent with an active infection.
  9. Live vaccination for the prevention of infectious disease administered \<30 days prior to the start of study therapy or inactivated vaccination \<14 days prior to the start of study therapy.
  10. History of severe allergic, anaphylactic, or other hypersensitivity reactions to Metformin, Simvastatin, and/or Digoxin.
  11. Patients diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome or electrocardiographic (ECG) pattern. Other cardiac conditions including: Previous MI with evidence of residual electrographic pattern consisted with bradycardia/heart block. Atrio-ventricular (AV) heart block (currently ongoing). History of ventricular fibrillation. Sick Sinus Syndrome or Sinus bradycardia thought to be caused by sinus node disease, unless effectively treated. Heart failure associated with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction, including constructive pericarditis, restrictive cardiomyopathy, and Amyloid heart muscle disease.
  12. Women of childbearing potential who are found to be pregnant as evidenced by positive serum pregnancy test (minimum sensitivity 25 IU/L or equivalent units of HCG) or nursing.
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Sequential assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
15 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Dose Escalation

    C3 (Metformin, Simvastatin and Digoxin) will be dosed each day of a 28 calendar day cycle. The starting dose level will be increased with each cohort. There are 3 cohorts. Upon reaching maximum tolerated dose, an expansion cohort will be opened. Cohort 1 - Metformin 850mg po/day, Simvastatin 5mg po/day, Digoxin 0.0625 mg po/day. Cohort 2 - Metformin 850 mg po/day for two weeks and 1,700 mg po/day for next two weeks, Simvastatin 20 mg po/day, Digoxin 0.25 mg po/day. Cohort 3 - Metformin 850 mg po/day for two weeks and 1,700 mg po/day for next two weeks, Simvastatin 40 mg po/day, Digoxin 0.25 mg po/day for two weeks, 0.375 mg po/day for the next two weeks for cycle 1. Subjects will receive 0.50 mg po/day in Cohort 3, Cycle 2 and beyond. Metformin to be taken at Breakfast and Dinner time (as applicable), Simvastatin at Bed time and Digoxin once daily.

    Drug: Metformin · Drug: Simvastatin · Drug: Digoxin

Interventions

  • DrugMetformin

    Metformin oral pill will be taken daily at breakfast (cohort 1) and breakfast and dinner (cohort 2 and 3).

    Also known as: Glucophage

  • DrugSimvastatin

    Simvastatin oral pill will be taken daily in the evening.

    Also known as: Zocor

  • DrugDigoxin

    Digoxin oral pill will be taken once daily.

    Also known as: Digitalis

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Maximum Tolerated Dose and/or Recommended Dose within the tested C3 dose range

    Occurrence of any ≥ Grade 3 toxicity encountered within the four weeks following the administration of C3, regardless of attribution

    Time frame: Up to one year

Secondary outcomes

  1. Safety and Tolerability: Occurrence of treatment - emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and other abnormalities

    Occurrence of treatment - emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and occurrence of abnormalities in laboratory test values, markedly abnormal vital sign measurements, and clinically significant abnormal electrocardiograms (ECGs), including conduction abnormalities and changes in QT interval

    Time frame: Up to 2 years

  2. Efficacy (Disease Response)

    Response and progression evaluated using Response Evaluation criteria in solid tumors

    Time frame: Up to 2 years

  3. Assess BIRC5 levels of expression in tumor tissue

    Blood samples for pharmacokinetic analysis of C3 will be collected at designated time points.

    Time frame: RNA and protein levels of expression at baseline and at 2 months after C3 treatment

  4. Assess molecular changes induced by C3 administration in the blood for biomarker sensitivity/resistance assessment

    Molecular signal tumor blood (plasma) and microenvironment protein expression patterns via quantitative mass spectrometry.

    Time frame: Baseline and at 2 months

07

Study locations

1 site
  • University of Toledo, Eleanor N. Dana Cancer Center
    Toledo, Ohio 43614, United States
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

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 Oct 20, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03889795
Lead sponsor
Danae Hamouda, MD
Responsible party
Danae Hamouda, MD (Principal Investigator and Medical Director, University of Toledo) — Sponsor-investigator
First posted
Mar 26, 2019
Start date
Jun 5, 2019
Primary completion
Dec 30, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 30, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Oct 20, 2025

Study contacts

Danae Hamouda, MD
principal investigator · University of Toledo

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in Oct 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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