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Active, not recruitingNCT04685304PGx-ACTUpdated Mar 26, 2024

Pharmacogenomics Applied to Chronic Pain Treatment in Primary Care

An interventional study of Pharmacogenetic Testing and Pharmacist Consultation Note in Chronic Pain, sponsored by Medstar Health Research Institute. Active, not recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-03-26.

Sponsored by Medstar Health Research Institute · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
315
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Pharmacogenomics (PGx) Applied to Chronic pain Treatment in primary care (PGx-ACT) is an open-label, prospective, randomized trial. Participants prescribed a relevant opioid and meet additional eligibility criteria will be randomized into either a PGx-guided care (intervention) arm or standard care (control) arm. The investigators will test the hypothesis that patients with intermediate or poor CYP2D6 metabolism assigned to PGx-guided care arm will experience improved pain control at 3 months compared to patients in the standard care arm. Additionally, the study investigators will be evaluating non-pain related uses of PGx information in the chronic pain population.

Read the detailed description

Chronic pain affects millions of Americans on an annual basis. Pharmacologic pain management strategies, which includes opioid analgesics, are widely used to treat chronic pain. The selection of an analagesic can be guided by pharmacogenomic (PGx) data via existing Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) guidelines. The rationale for PGx-guided treatment is based upon the CYP2D6 bioactivation of tramadol, codeine, and hydrocodone, whereas patients with reduced CYP2D6 function may not activate these drugs and therefore may not experience the effective treatment from these drugs. A prior pragmatic proof-of-concept trial testing the effects of CYP2D6-guided opioid prescribing on pain control provides additional evidence for this study.

This study is designed to evaluate the impact of PGx-guided treatment on chronic pain score improvement compared to standard conventional treatment in a pragmatic setting. It will test for multiple genes to enable incorporation of CPIC guidelines for other drugs (e.g., antidepressants, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs), account for drug-drug interactions, and utilize recently updated CYP2D6 phenotype translation thresholds.

Primary objective: Identify the effects of providing pharmacogenomic (PGx) results and recommendations for patients with chronic pain who are treated in primary care clinics versus standard care.

Secondary objective: Explore non-pain related uses of PGx information in a population with chronic pain.

02

Conditions studied

  • Chronic Pain

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Keywords

  • pharmacogenetics
  • pharmacogenomics
  • CYP2D6
  • CYP2C9
  • tramadol
  • codeine
  • hydrocodone
  • NSAIDs
  • opioids
03

In context

Chronic Pain

2,928 studies on the registry are indexed under Chronic Pain; 699 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 315 is above the median of 60 across 2,160 interventional studies indexed under Chronic Pain.

Browse Chronic Pain studies →

Lead sponsor

Medstar Health Research Institute is the lead sponsor of 160 studies on the registry; 32 are open to participants now.

Of its 14 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 6 (43%) have results posted.

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

  • Any sex, 18 years of age or older
  • Report chronic pain (i.e., pain for at least 3 months),
  • Have a current prescription (prior to the enrollment visit) for either hydrocodone, tramadol, or codeine.
  • This opioid is ordered by a provider associated with MedStar Health
  • Treated at a participating primary care clinic (section 6)
  • Willing and able to comply with scheduled visits, buccal sample collection, and other trial-related procedures.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who have received a liver or bone marrow transplant.
  • Patients with documented opioid use disorder (e.g., opioid use disorder on the problem list) or have current prescriptions for buprenorphine represent a level of complexity that are beyond the scope of this trial.
  • Any surgical procedure that typically necessitates post-operative opioid (e.g., laparoscopic cholecystectomy, unilateral open and laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair, partial mastectomy with and without sentinel lymph node biopsy, uncomplicated cesarean delivery, minimally invasive hysterectomy, robotic retropubic prostatectomy, arthroscopic partial meniscectomy, and thyroidectomy) within the past 3 months or in the study period.
  • Surgeries or procedures that would not typically require postoperative opioids are permissible (e.g., (uncomplicated vaginal delivery, cochlear implant, and cardiac catheterization).
  • A urine drug screen at enrollment or during the study identifies the patient ingesting a narcotic medication that is not prescribed to them. It is not a study requirement that any patients have completed a urine drug screen as this will be considered part of clinical practice per the treating provider.
  • Known to have previously received CYP2D6 testing.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
315 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    PGx-guided care

    Pharmacogenetic results (e.g., CYP2D6, CYP2C9) and a pharmacist consultation will be provided to their primary care provider. This consultation note (PharmD consult) will aid primary care providers in the interpretation and application of PGx results in prescribing decisions. The ultimate prescribing decision is at the discretion of the primary care provider and patient.

    Genetic: Pharmacogenetic Testing · Other: Pharmacist Consultation Note

  • Active comparator
    Standard care

    Care for study subjects will occur without PGx results at the discretion of the study subject, their primary care provider. After the active participation ends (i.e. after the three month follow up is complete), PGx results and a PharmD consult will be provided similar to the PGx-guided arm.

    Other: Delayed pharmacogenetic testing

Interventions

  • GeneticPharmacogenetic Testing

    Genetic results will be reported for CYP2D6, CYP2C19, CYP2C9, CYP2B6, CYP3A4, CYP3A5, SLCO1B1, TPMT, and VKORC1.

    Also known as: pharmacogenomics, CYP2D6, CYP2C9, PGx

  • OtherPharmacist Consultation Note

    Recommendations will be based on phenotypes translated from genetic data in accordance with CPIC guidelines. Drug interactions will be incorporated into phenotype assignments when appropriate.

  • OtherDelayed pharmacogenetic testing

    Pharmacogenetic testing and a pharmacist consultation note will be provided to participants provided to the standard care arm once 3 months have passed since their baseline visit.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Pain Intensity

    The change in composite pain intensity among CYP2D6 poor or intermediate metabolizers between the baseline visit and 3 months. The composite pain intensity is defined as the mean of current, worst, and average pain intensity. The PROMIS Scale v1.0 Pain Intensity 3a will be used to collected pain intensity data. The scale asks three separate questions regarding how intense the patient's pain is on average over the past 7 days, at it's worst over the past 7 days, and at that moment. Options range from 1 (had no pain) to 5 (very severe).

    Time frame: 3 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Opioid Use

    The change number of morphine milliequivalents (MMEs) prescribed between baseline and 3 months.

    Time frame: 3 months

  2. Recommendation Acceptance

    Proportion of patients with prescribing decisions concordant with PGx with recommendations

    Time frame: first encounter (baseline visit), 3 months, 12 months

  3. Significant Change in Pain Intensity

    The proportion of patients with at least a 30% improvement in composite pain intensity.

    Time frame: 3 months

  4. Change in Physical Function

    Using the PROMIS-29 Profile v2.0, assess the change in physical function between baseline and 3 months. The scale includes options that range from 1 (without any difficulty) to 5 (unable to do).

    Time frame: 3 months

  5. Change in Pain Interference Symptoms

    Using the PROMIS-29 Profile v2.0, assess the change in symptoms between baseline and 3 months. The scale includes options that range from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very much).

    Time frame: 3 months

  6. Change in Pain Intensity Among Those with Therapy Concordant with PGx Recommendations

    The subset of patients with actionable results (e.g., CYP2D6 poor or intermediate metabolism) will have pain intensity compared between those with therapy concordant and discordant with recommendations. The change in composite pain intensity between the baseline visit and 3 months. The composite pain intensity is defined as the mean of current, worst, and average pain intensity. The PROMIS Scale v1.0 Pain Intensity 3a will be used to collected pain intensity data. The scale asks three separate questions regarding how intense the patient's pain is on average over the past 7 days, at it's worst over the past 7 days, and at that moment. Options range from 1 (had no pain) to 5 (very severe).

    Time frame: 3 months

07

Study locations

1 site
  • MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital
    Baltimore, Maryland 21239, United States
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 26, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04685304
Lead sponsor
Medstar Health Research Institute
Collaborators
Kailos Genetics, Inc.
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Dec 28, 2020
Start date
Dec 2, 2020
Primary completion
Jul 11, 2023
Completion
Apr 11, 2024 (estimated)
Last update
Mar 26, 2024

Study contacts

Max Smith, PharmD
principal investigator · MedStar Health

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in Mar 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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