ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT07191873TIIHTUpdated Sep 15, 2026

Tirzepatide in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Trial

A Phase 4 interventional study of Tirzepatide and Tirzepatide Placebo in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH), sponsored by Duke University. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 60 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-15.

Sponsored by Duke University · Phase 4, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Aug 2026; still recruiting 2 months later.
Phase
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
60
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 60 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This will be a randomized, double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled trial of 60 participants. The primary analysis will be a statistical comparison of the estimates of the mean difference in the 12-month change in intracranial pressure (ICP) between participants assigned to the tirzepatide and Placebo arms in 1:1 randomization using the intention-to-treat (ITT) population. Hypothesis testing will be performed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), with the treatment indicator as the independent variable and the 12-month change in ICP as the dependent variable. Models will include baseline ICP as a covariate. This primary endpoint will use a significance level of 0.05 to declare significance.

02

Conditions studied

  • Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH)

Keywords

  • IIH
  • BMI
  • Eye Pressure
  • Headache
03

In context

Pseudotumor Cerebri

53 studies on the registry are indexed under Pseudotumor Cerebri; 22 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 60 is close to the median of 60 across 35 interventional studies indexed under Pseudotumor Cerebri.

Browse Pseudotumor Cerebri studies →

Lead sponsor

Duke University is the lead sponsor of 2,063 studies on the registry; 273 are open to participants now.

Of its 204 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 167 (82%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 60 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

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.

Inclusion criteria

  1. Signs and symptoms of increased intracranial pressure:

    1. headaches, tinnitus, visual obscurations, papilledema;
    2. absence of localizing findings on neurological examination (except for VI nerve palsy);
    3. no secondary causes identified on imaging, e.g., hydrocephalus, space- occupying lesion;
    4. elevated lumbar puncture (LP) opening pressure (OP) ≥25 cm H2O in lateral decubitus position with legs extended (>= (≥ 20cm H2O if one of the following is present: pulse synchronous tinnitus, abducens palsy, Frisen grade II papilledema, transverse venous sinus stenosis, partially empty sella or enlarged optic nerve sheath on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI);
    5. the patient is awake and alert.
  2. ≥30 kg/m2
  3. Age 18-60 years of age
  4. Unilateral or bilateral papilledema
  5. Able to provide
  6. Women of child-bearing age must use (non-oral contraceptive method or add a barrier method of contraception).

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Previous bariatric surgery
  2. Prior intervention for high ICP including optic nerve sheath fenestration (ONSF), venous stenting and/or shunting
  3. Taking another GLP-1 agonist, another drug that can interfere with the GLP-1 agonist, or any other anti-obesity medication
  4. History of pancreatitis, personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2), history of gallbladder disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, or history of reaction in response to the drug
  5. Pregnancy or planning a pregnancy in the next 12 months or currently breastfeeding
  6. Other disorders causing visual loss and/or anomalous optic nerve
  7. Taking another medication to lower ICP in IIH (if previously taking another medication for ICP must be off this medication for at least 30 days prior to enrollment)
  8. No change in headache medications in the past 60 days
  9. Venous sinus thrombosis on magnetic resonance venography (MRV)
  10. Papilledema Frisen Grade III, IV or fulminant IIH
  11. Mean perimetric deviation ≤ -7 dB
  12. CSF contents outside of normal limits
  13. Uncontrolled hypertension (≥140mmHg/90 mmHg)
  14. Anemia ( [Hgb] ≤ 8.0g/dL)
  15. Diagnosed sleep apnea with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) use
  16. Exposure to a drug, substance, or disorder that has been associated with elevation of intracranial pressure within 2 months of diagnosis such as lithium, vitamin A, various cyclines
  17. \< 30 ml/min/1.73m2
  18. Type II diabetes
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(6)

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.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

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.

Hypersensitivity

An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.

Hemoglobin (Hb)

The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).

GFR and eGFR (kidney filtering)

GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².

Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
60 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Tirzepatide

    Participants receive Tirzepatide weekly on the following dose schedule for a year: Dosage Treatment time 2.5mg/0.5mL: Month 1 (4 Weeks) 5mg/0.5mL: Month 2 (4 Weeks) 7.5mg/0.5mL: Month 3 (4 Weeks) 10mg/0.5mL: Month 4 (4 Weeks) 12.5mg/0.5mL: Month 5-6 15mg/0.5 mL: Month 7-12

    Drug: Tirzepatide

  • Placebo comparator
    Placebo

    Participants receive Tirzepatide Placebo weekly on the following dose schedule for a year: Dosage Treatment time 2.5mg/0.5mL: Month 1 (4 Weeks) 5mg/0.5mL: Month 2 (4 Weeks) 7.5mg/0.5mL: Month 3 (4 Weeks) 10mg/0.5mL: Month 4 (4 Weeks) 12.5mg/0.5mL: Month 5-6 15mg/0.5 mL: Month 7-12

    Drug: Tirzepatide Placebo

Interventions

  • Dosage Treatment time 2.5mg/0.5mL: 4 Weeks 5mg/0.5mL: 4 Weeks 7.5mg/0.5mL: 4 Weeks 10mg/0.5mL: 4 Weeks 12.5mg/0.5mL: 4 weeks 15mg/0.5 mL: 7 Months

  • DrugTirzepatide Placebo

    Dosage Treatment time 2.5mg/0.5mL: 4 Weeks 5mg/0.5mL: 4 Weeks 7.5mg/0.5mL: 4 Weeks 10mg/0.5mL: 4 Weeks 12.5mg/0.5mL: 4 weeks 15mg/0.5 mL: 7 Months

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in intracranial pressure in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH) patients

    Assessed by opening pressure via lumbar puncture (LP) in the left lateral decubitus position and measured in cm H2O.

    Time frame: From enrollment to end of treatment at 12 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer (RNFL) Thickness on optical coherence tomograhy (OCT)

    Mean change in RNFL thickness

    Time frame: From enrollment to end of treatment at 12 months

  2. Change in Frisen papilledema grade on fundus photography

    The Frisen scale ranges from 0 (normal optic disc) to 5 (severe degree of edema).

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 months

  3. Change in perimetric mean deviation

    Perimetric Mean Deviation (MD) is a key visual field index that represents the average point-by-point difference between a patient's visual field and the normal, age-matched expected visual field.

    Time frame: From enrollment to end of treatment at 12 months

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Spitze A, Lam P, Al-Zubidi N, Yalamanchili S, Lee AG. Controversies: Optic nerve sheath fenestration versus shunt placement for the treatment of idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2014 Oct;62(10):1015-21. doi: 10.4103/0301-4738.146012. PubMed 25449938 ↗
  • Chen J, Wall M. Epidemiology and risk factors for idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Int Ophthalmol Clin. 2014 Winter;54(1):1-11. doi: 10.1097/IIO.0b013e3182aabf11. No abstract available. PubMed 24296367 ↗
  • Mollan SP, Ali F, Hassan-Smith G, Botfield H, Friedman DI, Sinclair AJ. Evolving evidence in adult idiopathic intracranial hypertension: pathophysiology and management. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2016 Sep;87(9):982-92. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2015-311302. Epub 2016 Feb 17. PubMed 26888960 ↗
  • Miah L, Strafford H, Fonferko-Shadrach B, Hollinghurst J, Sawhney IMS, Hadjikoutis S, Rees MI, Powell R, Lacey A, Pickrell WO. Incidence, Prevalence, and Health Care Outcomes in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: A Population Study. Neurology. 2021 Feb 22;96(8):e1251-e1261. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000011463. PubMed 33472926 ↗
  • Mollan SP, Aguiar M, Evison F, Frew E, Sinclair AJ. The expanding burden of idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Eye (Lond). 2019 Mar;33(3):478-485. doi: 10.1038/s41433-018-0238-5. Epub 2018 Oct 24. PubMed 30356129 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Started Aug 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Aug 2027, 12 months after the start.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Sep 17, 2025
First posted
Sep 25, 2025
StartActual
Aug 25, 2026
Primary completionEst.
Aug 2027
CompletionEst.
Aug 2028
Last update
Sep 15, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 15, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07191873
Lead sponsor
Duke University
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Sep 25, 2025
Start date
Aug 25, 2026
Primary completion
Aug 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Aug 2028 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 15, 2026

Study contacts

Alexa N Bramall, MD
Contact
alexa.bramall@duke.edu
919-660-1754
Beth Perry, RN
Contact
beth.perry@duke.edu
919-681-2695
Alexa N Bramall, MD
principal investigator · Duke University

Oversight

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

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