A Phase 3 interventional study of Placebo and 90mg Idebenone in Migraine Disorders and Headache Disorders, sponsored by Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University. Recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-05-15.
Sponsored by Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment
Idebenone improves energy metabolism similarly to Coenzyme Q10, which is effective in migraine prophylaxis. The investigators compare idebenone (90 mg/day, 270 mg/day) and placebo in 180 migraine patients in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial to study whether Idebenone is superior to placebo in the prevention of episodic migraine with or without aura.
One-hundred-and-eighty subjects will be recruited for a placebo-controlled, double-blinded study of idebenone (90 mg/day, 270 mg/day) versus placebo. One-hundred-and-eighty subjects will be recruited based on past research and an expected 20% dropout rate. A dose of 90mg or 270 mg is based on large number of reports at study initiation in Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy that demonstrated the safety of 900mg/day. Subjects are 18 to 65 years old, inclusive, who meet the International Classification of Headache Disorder- III (ICHD-III) for episodic migraine with or without aura, no over consumption of acute anti-migraine medication, no other prophylactic medication (washout 3 months), no serious organic or psychiatric disease, who are recommended to start prophylactic therapy (two to eight attacks per month). Written informed consent is obtained. The process of patients through the trial phases follows the CONSORT flow chart.
Idebenone and placebo were provided by Qilu Pharmaceutical Company Limited, China. Placebo consisted of the same ingredients as verum-instead idebenone, they classify as fit for human consumption in the China and without any known effect on migraine.
The design of this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial followed the IHS Committee on Clinical Trials in Migraine guidelines, 8 current EU guidelines on Good Clinical Practice, and the Declaration of Helsinki. It was approved by Neurology Department, the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University. This study is supported by the following funding sources: the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. LY19H090025, Grant No. LQ15H090003), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81101157). The study is also supported by Qilu Pharmaceutical Company Limited, China (http://www.qilu-pharma.com); the use of idebenone in migraine, is patent pending in the China. Dr. Kaiming Liu do not receive honoraria from the sponsor of the study.
Exclusion criteria includes subjects who previously failed idebenone therapy for migraine prophylaxis, those who previously discontinued idebenone due to adverse events, those who are taking idebenone or had taken idebenone within 14 days prior to enrollment, and subjects with continuous headaches. Subjects will be equally randomized to be treated with 90 mg/day idebenone, 270 mg/day idebenone, or placebo for 3 months.
At the first visit, patients will receive placebo for a 1-month base-line. At the second visit, they will be randomized to be treated with 90 mg/day idebenone, 270 mg/day idebenone, or placebo for next 3 months if they have presented at least one migraine attack.
The primary objective is to assess whether at least 1 dose of Idebenone is superior to placebo in overall mean change from baseline of 4-week migraine headache days (MHD) during double-blind treatment. Key secondary outcome variables will be change of migraine attack frequency, migraine moderate/severe headache days, the proportion of subjects with at least 50%, at least 75%, and 100% reduction in migraine days, mean severity of migraine, acute treatment utilization, quality of life related to episodic migraine as measured by the The Role Function Physical subscale in The Migraine-Specific Quality of Life questionnaire (MSQ v2.1), migraine-related disability as measured by The Headache Impact Test (HIT-6), Patient Global Impression of Severity (PGI-S) scores, and Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) scores from baseline of 4-week to the entire double-blind treatment phase.
Responders for attack frequency (50% reduction) will be calculated and the number-needed-to-treat (NNT) determined. Patients will be interviewed about adverse events at each visit. Statistical analysis will be done on an intention-to-treat population applying the last visit carried forward method. Mann-Whitney U test will be used for differences between groups, 2 test for 22 contingency tables of responder rate, general linear mixed model for evolution over time. Significance level is p\<0.05, after accounting for multiple comparisons. SPSS will be used.
1,657 studies on the registry are indexed under Migraine Disorders; 339 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 180 is above the median of 80 across 1,269 interventional studies indexed under Migraine Disorders.
Browse Migraine Disorders studies →Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University is the lead sponsor of 1,047 studies on the registry; 502 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
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.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
A planned gap after a treatment, so that its effects can lessen before the study treatment or a study assessment. Ask the study team and the doctor who prescribed it before changing any medicine.
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Washout period
A planned gap after a treatment, so that its effects can lessen before the study treatment or a study assessment. Ask the study team and the doctor who prescribed it before changing any medicine.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraception
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Placebo by mouth, three times a day for 1 months； Idebenone 30mg table by mouth, three times a day for next 3 months
Drug: Placebo · Drug: 90mg Idebenone
Placebo by mouth, three times a day for 1 months； Idebenone 90mg table by mouth, three times a day for next 3 months
Drug: Placebo · Drug: 270mg Idebenone
Placebo by mouth, three times a day for 4 months
Drug: Placebo
Placebo oral tablet, three times a day
Idebenone 30 MG Oral Tablet, three times a day
Also known as: Shenwei
Idebenone 90 MG Oral Tablet, three times a day
Also known as: Shenwei
The change of migraine attack frequency
The change of migraine attack frequency in month 4 compared with baseline. Headache data (e.g., occurrence, duration, and pain severity; occurrence of photophobia, phonophobia, nausea, or vomiting; and any use of migraine medication) were captured daily through a daily headache-diary. Degree of pain and results of treatment are scored by visual analogue scale(VAS).
Time frame: month 0, month 1, month 2, month 3, month 4
The change of days with headache
The change of days with headache per month compared with baseline. Headache data (e.g., occurrence, duration, and pain severity; occurrence of photophobia, phonophobia, nausea, or vomiting; and any use of migraine medication) were captured daily through a daily headache-diary.
Time frame: month 0, month 1, month 2, month 3, month 4
Mean severity of migraine
Mean severity of migraine per month compared with baselineHeadache data (e.g., occurrence, duration, and pain severity; occurrence of photophobia, phonophobia, nausea, or vomiting; and any use of migraine medication) were captured daily through a daily headache-diary. Degree of pain is scored by VAS.
Time frame: month 0, month 1, month 2, month 3, month 4
The change of days with nausea/vomiting
The change of days with nausea/vomiting per month compared with baselineHeadache data (e.g., occurrence, duration, and pain severity; occurrence of photophobia, phonophobia, nausea, or vomiting; and any use of migraine medication) were captured daily through a daily headache-diary.
Time frame: month 0, month 1, month 2, month 3, month 4
Mean duration of migraine
Mean duration of migraine per month compared with baselineHeadache data (e.g., occurrence, duration, and pain severity; occurrence of photophobia, phonophobia, nausea, or vomiting; and any use of migraine medication) were captured daily through a daily headache-diary.
Time frame: month 0, month 1, month 2, month 3, month 4
50% Responder rate for attack frequency
50% Responder rate for attack frequency compared with baselineHeadache data (e.g., occurrence, duration, and pain severity; occurrence of photophobia, phonophobia, nausea, or vomiting; and any use of migraine medication) were captured daily through a daily headache-diary.
Time frame: month 0, month 1, month 2, month 3, month 4
Mean no. tablets per day
Mean no. tablets per day compared with baselineHeadache data (e.g., occurrence, duration, and pain severity; occurrence of photophobia, phonophobia, nausea, or vomiting; and any use of migraine medication) were captured daily through a daily headache-diary.
Time frame: month 0, month 1, month 2, month 3, month 4
Plan to share: No — Some subjects do not hope that their IPD are used by other researchers.
Started Dec 2021 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2025, 48 months after the start.
Of 140 phase 3 interventional studies under Migraine Disorders, half reached primary completion within 19 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 12 and three quarters within 40. This study's planned 48 months is above that.
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Studies of the drug tested here: Idebenone
Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University →