CClinicalTrials.gg
Status unknownNCT04879134Updated May 18, 2022

Apomorphine Effects on Pain in Parkinson's Disease

A Phase 2/3 interventional study of Apomorphine Injectable Solution and Placebo in Parkinson Disease, sponsored by University of Calgary. Status unknown at 1 site in Canada. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-05-18.

Sponsored by University of Calgary · Phase 2/3, Interventional, and Treatment

The sponsor has not verified this record recently (last verified May 2022), so the status shown — last known as Recruiting — may be out of date.
Phase
Phase 2/3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
40
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

To study the effects of acute apomorphine vs. placebo administration on different Parkinson's disease pain types.

Read the detailed description

Apomorphine is the only anti-parkinsonian agent compatible with levodopa in improving Parkinson's disease (PD) motor symptoms. Besides, it has positive effects on some of the nonmotor symptoms of the disease, such as urinary disturbances and sleep. Apomorphine is usually well tolerated as it produces limited side effects. Knowledge about the effects of apomorphine on pain in PD is scarce. Evidence on this topic has only been reported in case reports or small studies but represents a potentially important use of the drug. We hypothesize that apomorphine may be a rational, safe, and useful treatment for subjects with pain in PD, including different subtypes. Within this framework, the present study will evaluate the effect of acute apomorphine vs. placebo administration on different PD pain types.

02

Conditions studied

  • Parkinson Disease

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03

In context

Parkinson Disease

4,484 studies on the registry are indexed under Parkinson Disease; 1,081 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 40 is close to the median of 40 across 3,293 interventional studies indexed under Parkinson Disease.

Browse Parkinson Disease studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Calgary is the lead sponsor of 686 studies on the registry; 189 are open to participants now.

Of its 10 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 2 (20%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Subjects with PD according to the MDS Clinical diagnostic criteria for Parkinson's disease.
  • Participants on antiparkinsonian medication in advanced stages of the disease and experiencing OFF periods and pain.
  • Apomorphine treatment naïve subjects or not received any within the last six months.
  • Stable PD and pain medications for at least 30 days.
  • Competence to self-report pain severity in the King's Parkinson's disease Pain Scale and a Likert Visual Analogue Scale.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects who are unable to self-report pain severity in the selected scales. Patients that may require a translator or are illiterate will be included if they can self-report pain severity.
  • Subjects with a diagnosis of dementia (Montreal Cognitive Assessment \<20).
  • Subject with poorly controlled orthostatic hypotension.
  • Subjects associated with another medical condition, e.g., any cardiovascular, renal or hepatic impairment, hematological or psychiatric diseases.

Any contraindication to receiving apomorphine injections:

  • Subjects who are hypersensitive to apomorphine or any ingredient in the formulation or component of the container (hydrochloric acid concentrated, sodium bisulfite (E222), and water)
  • Subjects using concomitant drugs of the 5HT3 antagonist class including (e.g., ondansetron, granisetron, palonosetron)
  • Subjects using concomitant antihypertensive medications or vasodilators
  • Subjects with prolonged QT on an electrocardiogram.
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2 / Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Crossover assignment
Masking
Triple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator)
Enrollment
40 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Apomorphine Injections

    Drug: Apomorphine Injectable Solution

  • Placebo comparator
    Placebo Injections

    Drug: Placebo

Interventions

  • DrugApomorphine Injectable Solution

    Patients will receive the treatment while they are in an OFF period, without the effect of any antiparkinsonian medication. For this study, the initial dose of apomorphine or placebo will be 2 mg. We selected an initial standardized dose based on the pharmacological characteristics of apomorphine. Assessments will be completed 30 and 60 minutes after the initial dose. At 60 minutes from the first dose, a 3 mg dose will be administered, and again, assessments will be completed after 30 and 60 minutes. The total given dosage will be 5 mg. Blood pressure and pulse will be checked every 20 minutes after injections. Other Names: Movapo

  • DrugPlacebo

    0.9% saline placebo injection Other Names: • Saline

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Changes in Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale

    Measures changes of symptom severity, treatment response and the efficacy of treatments. Part 1 (non-motor experiences of daily living), Part 2 (motor experiences of daily living), Part 3 (motor examination) and Part 4 (motor complications). The maximum score for all the parts is 272. Higher scores are indicative of worse outcomes.

    Time frame: 0, 1 and 2 weeks

  2. Change in Likert Visual Analogue Scale

    The measure of global pain change perceived by the patients. The most simple Likert Visual Analogue Scale is a straight horizontal line of fixed length, usually 100 mm. The ends are defined as the extreme limits of the parameter to be measured (symptom, pain, health) orientated from the left (worst) to the right (best). There are no numerical values on this scale however, a positioning towards the left of the scale indicates a worse outcome.

    Time frame: 0, 1 and 2 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Clinical Global Impression Scale

    Changes in scores on the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale. CGI is rated on a 7-point scale, with the severity of illness scale using a range of responses from 1 (normal) through to 7 (amongst the most severely ill patients).CGI scores range from 1 (very much improved) through to 7 (very much worse). Treatment response ratings should take account of both therapeutic efficacy and treatment-related adverse events and range from 0 (marked improvement and no side-effects) and 4 (unchanged or worse and side-effects outweigh the therapeutic effects). Each component of the CGI is rated separately; the instrument does not yield a global score.

    Time frame: 0, 1 and 2 weeks

  2. Number of adverse events

    Adverse events assessed for safety purposes at each study visit.

    Time frame: 0, 1 and 2 weeks

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Movement Disorder Program, Foothills Medical Center, Alberta Health Services
    Calgary, Alberta T2N4N1, Canada
    • Veronica Bruno, MD, MPH · Contact
    Recruiting
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 May 18, 2022, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04879134
Lead sponsor
University of Calgary
Collaborators
Paladin Labs Inc.
Responsible party
Veronica Bruno (Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Calgary) — Principal investigator
First posted
May 10, 2021
Start date
Feb 28, 2022
Primary completion
Feb 2023 (estimated)
Completion
Jul 2023 (estimated)
Last update
May 18, 2022

Study contacts

Veronica Bruno, MD, MPH
Contact
veronica.bruno@ucalgary.ca
403-220-7572
Beatrice Anghelescu
Contact
bamanghe@ucalgary.ca
403-220-7572
Veronica Bruno, MD, MPH
principal investigator · University of Calgary

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is status unknown, as verified in May 2022. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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